Situation: A CEO has employees who frequently show up in his office with a request that he solves a problem for them. This takes up the time that he needs to solve bigger picture issues. He’s also concerned that employees should be able to solve these problems themselves. What tactics have others used to address this issue? How do you say “no”?

Advice from the CEOs:

• Don’t say “no.”
  • Saying “no” discourages future questions and reduces communication. Instead, answer their question with a question. Help them to see the next step in the process of solving the problem themselves.
• What questions do you ask?
  • What do you think is the best solution?
  • Have you tried X, Y, Z?
  • Encourage them to use their peers as resources.
  • Focusing on #2 and #3, may give them insight into solving #1.
  • Have you spoken to (name) about this. (Name) may be able to help.
• Another good response – “I can’t help you right now. Why don’t you try to solve it and I’ll follow-up with you when I can.”
• It may be difficult to learn how to say no. Instead work on helping others to understand what you know about a particular technology or issue. Just ask questions to show them how to approach the problem, and then let them work through it.
  • This will take more time than “doing it yourself” at the beginning. However, they will rapidly gain more comfort working through issues and options on their own and will also gain both confidence and competence. Long-term it will save you time.

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