How do you handle someone who’s a “squeaky wheel”?

Our reader poll today asks: How do you handle someone who’s a “squeaky wheel”?

– I always meet their needs and answer their questions: 7%
– I ask them to generate solutions before coming to me: 90%
– I direct them to go to someone else for help: 2%
– I refuse to meet with them until they have something for review: 1%

Make them Self-Sufficient. “Squeaky Wheels” can consume a great deal of your time if you’re not careful. For the vast majority of you, the push toward making them self-sufficient is clear. For those who aren’t taking this approach, I encourage you to look at how you can wean them from the amount of support you provide. If you use basic self-sufficiency building approaches, you should be able to reclaim that time to invest it elsewhere.

Do you agree with these poll results? Let us know in the comments below!

– Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC

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These results were originally a SmartPulse poll in SmartBrief on Leadership which tracks feedback from more than 200,000 business leaders. Get smarter on leadership and sign up for the SmartBrief on Leadership e-newsletter.