The starting point
You are helping someone take on a piece of work. You know how to break it into tasks. You could hand them the list.
The move
Give them the problem: the goal, the context, the limits and the means. Let them propose the approach.
Why it works
A task list teaches people to execute. A problem teaches them to judge. As long as you hand out tasks, you stay the only one who knows why, and everything comes back through you.
You are supporting a new colleague who has to prepare new customers’ arrival. Instead of giving her the list of messages to send, you look together at what new customers need to understand in their first week. She proposes her approach. You can show an example, without imposing your plan as the answer.
Say clearly what she decides alone, and when to come back to you. If she uses AI to move faster, ask her to explain her reasoning: that is where you see whether she understood.
Do not hold back information to make the exercise instructive. With a tight deadline or high stakes, cut the exploration and say why.
Try this
Choose a bounded problem. Write down the expected result, the context, the constraints, the time, and what the person decides alone.
Ask what backing would help. Set a check-in by the need, and stay reachable.
At the check-in, look at the reasoning as much as the result. Tell your requirements apart from your preferences.
To discuss
Which whole problem could we hand over this week?