The “best” way is the one that you understand

Yesterday …

I sat with my daughter to help her figure out her college’s online learning platform. I got the hang of it pretty quickly, and then in 5 minutes showed her exactly the fastest and best way to do what she was trying to do.

She understood exactly none of it. :-(

Then I watched her figure it out herself, just pointing here or there at a link or button that might help her with the next step.

She now has a way to get her work done.

It's painful for me to watch her. Her way is slow and clunky. I would go crazy doing it that way.

But you know what?

It works for her. She understands it. She can do it without me whenever she needs to.

This morning …

I sat with a coaching client, working (yes, again) through a CSV import and mass editing of contact records.

I was tempted to show him my way of working. It would have been faster. It would have worked well.

But I let him do it himself, answering questions as he went along, and sometimes pointing out a link or button that would help him to the next step.

My way works for me. It's quick and effective. His way seems to me both tedious and slow.

And you know what?

It works for him. He understands it. He can do it without me, whenever he needs to.

Here's the thing:

In both cases, I could give you a list of reasons why my way is better. Faster. Smoother. Easier.

And that does not matter. Not one bit.

What matters is whether the person doing the work understands what they're doing and can remember how to do it effectively next time.

For any given task, there are — of course — wrong ways to do it.

But there's not just one right way.

The “best” way … is the one that you understand.

All the best,
A.