When someone asks you for advice, you both face a dilemma.

If you provide one suggestion and it doesn't work, you get the blame. I consider this the hero-villain scenario - you end up the hero or the villain. And your role may change each time they ask for that one bit of advice.

If you provide two options, you now have given the other person a moral quandary. How do they know which might be the better option for them? They did come to you for advice. Which option is good or bad? The decision and outcomes could place a moral judgment on the other person and you. Who might be labeled good or bad based on the outcome?

Three options provide possibilities. Giving three options could suggest a third or fourth or fifth option. You could say, "Here are three options I can think of. Can you think of others?" You are floating multiple outcomes for consideration. You let creativity fly.

So the next time someone asks for advice, consider sharing three options to help their creativity.

Thanks to Johanna Rothman for first introducing me to this concept. She learned it from Jerry Weinberg who was introduced to it by Virginia Satir. Whether you call them hacks, rules of thumb, or heuristics, subscribe if you would like to learn more of them.