Tuesday, October 8, 2013

When Answers Just Don't Help

My daughter Kyra has her first big school project coming up tomorrow (she's 6). Her task was to choose an insect, learn all about it and make a model of one. Tomorrow she has to get up in class and tell the other kids some interesting facts about her chosen insect.



Choosing the insect was pretty easy - a butterfly is a popular choice with a few girls by the looks of things. Then came the inevitable question..

"So mum, tell me some interesting facts that I can tell the kids"

Like a typical 6 year old, she wanted me to give her the answers so that she could simply repeat them and get the project finished. End of story, move on to the next thing!

So did I give her the facts?
Of course you already know that I didn't. And I don't need to tell you why I didn't... but I'm going to anyway ;-).

If I'd given her the information she wouldn't really have learned anything. She wouldn't have known where to go to look for facts. She wouldn't have had to practice making decisions about what was interesting and what wasn't. Next time there was a project to be done she would be reliant on me again to do the work for her.

On the other hand, if I had just left her to it, to go and figure out for herself, she would have ended up frustrated, wasting a lot of time, and probably be pretty upset - both with me and with herself.
So I needed to make sure she had the right mix of guidance and independence.

Synchronistically, I've been experiencing the same thing myself.

I'm in the middle of a project that I would love someone else just to come along and give me the answers for. Looking for information and figuring things out for yourself is hard work. When people point out ways that I can find the answers for myself, I have to admit, sometimes I feel like stomping my feet - just like my daughter did.

But you know what? When she discovered the answers for herself (with my guidance of course) and put this project together, the look of pride on her face was just magic. And when I finish my own project not only will I be proud of myself, but I know I can do it over and over again!

Leap 'n' Bound: What new skill or information are you learning at the moment? Is there any area of your small business where you are being spoon fed too easily? Is there any area of your small business where a little more guidance would save you a lot of pain and frustration?

Getting the mix between guidance and independence can be tricky - there is no one optimum point, but rather a sliding scale, but the closer you are to the middle, the more effective you become.
Keep your fingers crossed for Kyra for me will you - if she's anything like her mum, she'll want things to go just perfectly!!

No comments:

Post a Comment