The number of subordinates who lack initiative has increased.
But don't just write it off as "lacking initiative."
There are two patterns.
Pattern A: The system design is robbing them of initiative.
Pattern B: They simply cannot form an opinion.
Today, I will talk about Pattern B.
This is a deeper issue that cannot be solved by just changing the system design.
────────────────
【The Reality of Pattern B】
I asked, "What do you think?"
They replied, "I don't know."
I asked, "What do you want to do?"
They replied, "Anything is fine."
I asked, "What do you think is the cause of this problem?"
They replied, "I don't know."
This isn't a case of "not speaking their mind."
It is a state of "having no opinion in the first place."
The ability to create an opinion has not been developed from the start.
────────────────
【Why Can't They Form Opinions?】
The cause is that their "thinking muscles" are not developed.
Thinking muscles are the ability to "receive information and create your own interpretation."
Characteristics of people whose thinking muscles are not developed:
Characteristic ①: Searching for the "correct" answer
Instead of creating their own interpretation, they try to find "someone else's correct answer."
If they don't know the correct answer, they can't respond.
They have nothing to say to questions that have no single right answer.
Characteristic ②: Thinking stops at "I don't know"
They cannot convert "not knowing" into "researching or thinking."
"I don't know" becomes the end point of their thought process.
Characteristic ③: Unable to answer abstract questions
They have nothing for open-ended questions like "What do you think?"
They can act on specific instructions, but they cannot act on "What do you want to do?" or "Why do you think so?"
Characteristic ④: Unable to convert experience into "learning"
Even if they experience something, it ends with just "having done it."
They have no habit of thinking about "why it went well or why it didn't."
Even if experience accumulates, it doesn't become material for thought.
────────────────
【The Background of This State】
Why are there more people who cannot form opinions?
Background ①: Long years of "education to memorize correct answers"
Much of school education is about "memorizing the right answer," not "creating your own interpretation."
Tests have correct answers. If you memorize them, you are evaluated highly.
There is no need to form your own opinion.
When this education continues for years, the "OS for searching for correct answers" becomes fixed.
────────────────
Background ②: An environment where you don't struggle even if you don't think
On social media, "answers" are immediately available.
If you search, the "correct answer" comes up.
If you ask AI, a "response" comes back.
Searching for an answer before thinking for oneself has become a habit.
Because they don't struggle even if they don't think, their thinking muscles don't grow.
────────────────
Background ③: Accumulated experiences where "speaking up is a risk"
They were rejected when they spoke their mind.
They were blamed when they decided for themselves and failed.
They were ignored when they made a proposal.
From these experiences, they learned that "there is no point in forming an opinion."
They stopped forming opinions. As a result, they forgot how to do it.
────────────────
【Training Pattern B: Designing to Strengthen Thinking Muscles】
Here is an important premise.
Training Pattern B takes time.
Don't expect change in a week.
Look at it in 3-month increments.
Thinking muscles only grow through the accumulation of small daily training.
────────────────
Training Design ①:
Thoroughly "make them think before teaching the answer"
A subordinate asks, "What should I do?"
Don't give an answer reflexively.
Always follow this order:
STEP 1: Ask, "What do you think?"
STEP 2: If they say "I don't know," say:
"It's okay not to know. I just want to know how you would think based on the information you have now."
STEP 3: If something comes out, ask, "Why do you think so?"
STEP 4: After that, give your own thoughts.
At first, only "I don't know" will come out. That's fine.
The experience of "thinking despite not knowing" is the muscle training.
✗ Response that doesn't build muscle:
"You should do this for this matter."
→ The subordinate ends with "I got the answer."
→ They will come to ask the same thing next time.
✓ Response that builds muscle:
"What do you think?"
"Why do you think so?"
"What other options are there?"
→ The subordinate experiences "thinking."
→ They gradually start thinking for themselves.
────────────────
Training Design ②:
Make them make "small judgments" every day
Don't ask for "big judgments" suddenly.
Start with "small judgments."
Level 1 (1st month):
"I want you to decide the priority of today's tasks yourself."
"Please choose which format is better for this document."
"Decide whether to contact customer A or B first."
Level 2 (2nd month):
"I want you to list three things you think are the cause of this problem."
"Tell me where you would change this proposal if you were to improve it."
Level 3 (3rd month):
"I want you to design how to proceed with this project yourself."
"Identify one team problem and come up with an improvement plan."
Crucially, don't say "either is fine."
If you say "either is fine," it doesn't serve as judgment practice.
Always require them to "choose one and tell me the reason."
────────────────
Training Design ③:
Always ask "Why do you think so?"
After an opinion comes out, the next step is to create an "opinion with grounds."
"I think we should do this."
→ "Why do you think so?"
→ "Because of XX."
→ "What is the basis for that?"
→ "There is data from YY."
Repeat this back-and-forth every time.
It's okay if the grounds are weak at first.
Being constantly asked "why" trains the thinking muscles.
By managers continuing to ask "why," the "habit of thinking about the why" grows within the subordinate.
────────────────
Training Design ④:
Explicitly state "I'm not looking for the correct answer"
Many people who can't form opinions feel the pressure that they "must say the correct answer."
Because they don't know the correct answer, they don't speak.
There are words to remove this pressure:
"I want to hear what you think now, not whether it's right or wrong."
"It's okay to be wrong. Tell me your thoughts at this stage."
"I'm not looking for an answer. I want to see your thinking process."
Just by giving these words first, they shift from "searching for the correct answer" to "putting out their own thoughts."
────────────────
Training Design ⑤:
Design a "reflection habit"
At the end of every day, have them answer three questions:
"Was there a situation where you made a judgment yourself today?"
"Was that judgment good? Why?"
"What is something you will try to judge for yourself tomorrow?"
It can be verbal at first. Once they get used to it, have them write it in a memo.
By continuing this reflection daily, the "habit of verbalizing one's own judgments" grows.
When they can verbalize it, the quality of judgment improves.
When quality improves, they stop being afraid of making judgments.
────────────────
【What to Avoid Most in Training】
Avoidance ①:
Blaming them with "Why can't you think for yourself?"
A state without thinking muscles is not a matter of will. It's a matter of muscle.
You can't make someone run by asking "Why can't you run?" if they have no muscles.
Instead of blaming, design a "muscle training menu."
Avoidance ②:
Continuing to "teach the answer"
Teaching the answer is efficient in the short term.
But in the long term, it reinforces the "habit of receiving answers."
Every time you teach the answer, the subordinate's thinking muscles are not used.
Unused muscles do not grow.
Avoidance ③:
"Expecting immediate change"
Thinking muscles grow in 3-month or 6-month increments.
Don't judge them as "impossible for this person" just because they don't change in a week.
Training is a "long-term design." Don't judge by short-term results.
────────────────
【Know the "Signs of Success" in Training】
There are signs that Pattern B training is going well.
Sign ①:
A slight pause for thought occurs before "I don't know"
At first, it was an immediate "I don't know." Now it's "I don't know" after thinking for a bit.
This is a sign they are "trying to think."
Sign ②:
"I don't know, but it might be XX" starts to come out
Even if incomplete, their "own thought" has come out. This is a big step forward.
Sign ③:
They start giving reasons before being asked "Why do you think so?"
"I think we should do this. The reason is XX."
They have started giving opinions with grounds on their own. Their thinking muscles are growing.
────────────────
【Conclusion】
The way to deal with subordinates who cannot form opinions is not to tell them to "think for yourself."
It is to implement a "training design" that strengthens thinking muscles every day.
・Make them think before teaching the answer
・Make them make small judgments every day
・Always ask "why"
・Create a space where the correct answer is not required
・Design a reflection habit
Continue these five things for three months.
In three months, the subordinate who only said "I don't know" will start saying, "I think this, and the reason is XX."
Thinking muscles can be grown through design.
────────────────
【For Saving: Pattern B Training Design Checklist】
Daily Training Design:
□ Did I ask "What do you think?" before teaching the answer?
□ Did I ask "Why do you think so?"
□ Did I make them make one small judgment?
□ Did I explicitly state "I'm not looking for the correct answer"?
□ Did I conduct the three reflection questions?
Check for things to avoid:
□ Am I blaming them for "why can't you think?"
□ Am I continuing to "teach the answer"?
□ Am I "expecting immediate change"?
Check for signs of success:
□ Is there a pause before "I don't know"?
□ Has "I don't know, but it might be XX" come out?
□ Have they started giving opinions with reasons on their own?
────────────────
【Today's Next Step】
The next time a subordinate asks you "What should I do?", always say this before giving the answer:
"What do you think?"
That one question is the first step in thinking muscle training.
───
The "structure" I wrote in this article is available as a format you can use as-is, exclusively for subscribers.
・Limited posts
・Limited X articles
300 yen per month.
Only those who want to change their work design should come.
You can enter from the subscription tab on my profile.
