There is an inside joke between myself and co-workers who I have worked with for a while that, “There are no such things as ‘stupid’ questions. Only ‘stupid’ people, too dumb not to know not to ask me questions.”
So first, a confession. I will answer pretty much any question I am asked. In fact, one of the things that endear me to those I work with is that even if I have no idea what the answer should be, I almost always give an answer, and that answer usually works out for the best.
But just like any great comedy routine, there is a slight ring of truth to this joke. You see this with people I haven’t worked with very long not being sure how to approach me with a problem, mostly because they believe the inside joke to be an axiom of absolute truth.
This is a personal problem that I took on a few years back, working on being more patient with people asking ‘basic’ questions.
I have adjusted (begrudgingly) to take more time in explaining things. Not just spouting out overly detailed instructions with the hope that the receiver just knows they should just walk away and go do whatever I just said. This was a shortcoming I noticed early in my attempts to launch my consulting businesses. As I began reaching out to people who did not know what they did or did not know, I found myself repeating myself continually.
At first, I thought it was mostly unnecessary and a complete waste of my time.
Then I learned better. Or maybe I just grew up a little.
I am far from perfect, so I have to make a conscious effort to not let the more annoying basic questions bother me, or at least not let them see to bother me.
In reality, until those asking questions get an answer they can use, they are doomed to keep asking the same questions. Not a great plan if you are looking for more win-win situations at work or in life.