42   Allow People to Figure It Out

“You’re so smart; just provide neat solutions to others on the team. Don’t waste time trying to educate them.”

“Give a man a fish, and you’ll feed him for a day. Teach him to fish, and you will feed him for a lifetime.” And he won’t bother you again for weeks. Part of being a good mentor involves teaching your teammates to fish, not just handing them a fish every day.

After reading ​Be a Mentor​, you may be inclined to dispatch a co-worker with a quick answer and get on with the task. But what happens if you just give them pointers and let the developer figure out their own answer?

This doesn’t have to be a big deal; instead of answering something obvious like “42,” ask your teammate, “Did you look at the interaction between the transaction manager and the application lock handler?”

Using this technique has a few advantages:

• You are helping them learn how to approach the problem.

• They get to learn more than just the answer.

• They won’t keep coming to you with similar questions again and again.

• You are helping them function when you are not available to answer questions.

• They may come back with solutions or ideas you didn’t consider. This is the fun part—you learn something new as well.

If the person comes back empty-handed, you can always supply more hints (or even the answer). If the person returns with some ideas, you can help them evaluate the pros and cons of each idea. If the person returns with a better answer or solution than what you had thought of, you can learn from the experience and share your thoughts. This serves as a great educational experience for both of you.

As a mentor, you lead others toward solutions, motivating them to solve problems and giving them an opportunity to think and learn problem solving. We mentioned Aristotle’s quote earlier: “It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.” You are entertaining thoughts and perspectives of others, and in the process you broaden yours.

When the whole team adopts that attitude, you’ll find that the intellectual capital of the team increases rapidly, and you can start creating some really great stuff.

Give others a chance to solve problems. Point them in the right direction instead of handing them solutions. Everyone can learn something in the process.

What It Feels Like

It feels like you are being helpful without spoon-feeding. You’re not cryptic or cagey, but you can lead people to find their own answers.

Keeping Your Balance

• Answer the question with another question that leads in the right direction.

• If someone is truly stuck, don’t torment them. Show them the answer, and explain why it’s the answer.