Be More Helpful by Avoiding Unsolicited Advice

Posted on July 8, 2015 by Nate Regier / 2 comments
Share via

Have you ever tried to help someone and it backfired?

It used to be a daily occurrence for me until I started applying the principles of Compassionate Accountability®.

In fifth grade when the math started getting a little more difficult for my youngest daughter, Asha. She had homework and even a little reading to do.

One Winter evening I was washing dinner dishes while Asha was working on her math homework at the kitchen bar. She let out a frustrated gasp, followed by,

“This is too hard. I don’t get it! The teacher never explains things. I’ll never be able to get this homework done.”

I did what any dad who excelled at math in school would do. I said,

“Here, let me show you how. It’s easy.”

And she responded as any fifth grader would,

“Dad, you don’t understand. You were never in fifth grade. That won’t work. Leave me alone!”

DRAMA ALERT! DRAMA ALERT!

Unsolicited advice is rescuing and violates two principles of Compassionate Accountability. First, it violates another person’s dignity and autonomy by attempting to do the thinking for them. It puts the advice-giver in a one-up position as if to say, “You would be OK if you did it my way.” Kids are just like adults in feeling resentful and defensive when rescued because it doesn’t build competence or confidence – it fosters dependence while stroking the ego of the rescuer. Thankfully kids will often say what’s on their mind. Adults might not, and might secretly resent you instead.

Unsolicited advice also violates the principle of “Start with Openness.” When people are struggling, they want to feel heard and supported first. They want to know how much you care before they care how much you know. Caring alone won’t solve the problem, but it’s a great place to start.

So I did what any father who wants to raise a self-reliant and confident daughter would do. I swallowed my pride, apologized, and used my tools.

“Honey, I’m sorry. That sounds awful. I remember being in class and it all made sense til I got home and then I had no clue what I was supposed to do. I’m available if you have any questions or want help.”

What happened next was magical. Asha gave me a dismissive glance, probably left over defensiveness from our last interaction. About five minutes later after I’d left the kitchen she found me and asked if I’d help her make sense of the homework and teach her any tricks I’d picked up along the way. She also asked me if I had any ideas on how she could talk to her teacher.

DIGNITY PRESERVED. DRAMA AVERTED.

Compassionate Accountability is about struggling with others and supporting them to take ownership over responsibilities, reach goals, and gain more personal efficacy.

HelpWriteNextBookWhat’s the best way to be helpful while encouraging others to take personal responsibility? We want to include this concept in our next book. Will you share your comments?

If you want to learn more about how we coach leaders and certify trainers to practice compassionate accountability, give us a call.


Like Next Element on Facebook

Follow @NextNate on Twitter

Connect with Nate on LinkedIn

Buy Nate’s book, Beyond Drama: Transcending Energy Vampires

Visit Nate’s Speaker Page, or contact us about booking Dr. Regier for a speaking engagement.

 


Book Your Next Keynote Speaker

Dr. Nate Regier

Author and Co-founder of Next Element, Dr. Nate Regier is available to speak at your upcoming event.

Submit a Speaker Request

Podcast: Listen to Nate "On Compassion"

On Compassion with Dr. Nate Listen to the Podcast

Join Our Community

Want To Republish Our Posts?

2 Comments

Photo of Aaron
Aaron
Posted on July 11, 2015

Great post, definitely going to pass on. Thank you for sharing.

Leave comment for this reply

Add comment

Your comment will be revised by the site if needed.

Photo of click here
click here
Posted on September 5, 2017

Hiya! Quick question that’s entirely off topic. Do you
know how to make your site mobile friendly? My blog looks
weird when browsing from my iphone4. I’m trying to find a theme or plugin that might be able to fix this problem.
If you have any recommendations, please share. Appreciate it!

Photo of Nate Regier
Nate Regier
Posted on September 9, 2017

I’m sorry Eliza. We have done quite a bit to make it mobile friendly. Don’t know what to tell you, and am happy to share this with our IT folks. Thanks for reading my blog!

Leave comment for this reply

Add comment

Your comment will be revised by the site if needed.

Leave comment for this reply

Add comment

Your comment will be revised by the site if needed.

Add comment

Your comment will be revised by the site if needed.