Photo courtesy of Dr. Laurie Sorrenson. The Post-it note is a reminder to empower employees to realize they usually already have the answers to their questions.
Building leaders by spurring them to answer their own questions
By Laurie Sorrenson, OD, FAAO
July 9, 2025
After practicing optometry for decades, I realized that some of the most disruptive moments in my day have nothing to do with patients in my exam chair — they happen outside the exam room, when a staff member taps on my door or catches me between patients with questions.
The True Source of Daily Interruptions
They’re not big questions, usually.
“Can this patient get a refund on their glasses?”
“What do we do about this rude patient?”
“She said this, and I don’t think it’s fair — what should I do?”
You know the drill. One-off issues, but somehow never-ending.
Now, don’t get me wrong — I love my team, and I appreciate that they come to me because they want to get things right. But I started to realize I was giving answers all day long, not just in the exam room.
Optometrists as Decisive Problem-Solvers
And honestly, we, as optometrists, are really good at giving answers and making decisions.
Think about it: a patient comes in with a vague complaint, a bunch of visual symptoms, maybe a weird scan or an insurance issue. In 15 to 20 minutes, we sort it out, connect the dots and give a clear recommendation. Boom. That same decisiveness gets applied when a team member walks in and says, “What should I do about…?”
Creating a Cycle of Dependency
But here’s the problem: when we always give the answer, we train our team to always ask for one. We keep ourselves at the center of every little decision. And our day gets filled up with a thousand cuts — tiny interruptions that collectively take a toll.
A Simple Post-it Note Solution
So, I did something incredibly simple. I put a Post-it note on my computer that says:
“What do you think?”
That’s it. Just those four words.
It’s a reminder — to me — to stop giving answers so quickly and start empowering people to think through the problem themselves.
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Empowering My Team to Think for Themselves
Now, when someone brings me a problem or questions, I glance at that note, pause and say, “What do you think?”
And you know what? Almost every time, their answer works.
Sometimes it’s even better than mine.
Real-Life Example: Trusting Experience
I’ll give you an example. I have one staff member who’s been with me for over 30 years. One day, she came to me with questions related to a patient issue. I said, “What do you think?”
Her answer? Exactly what I would have said. Of course it was — she’s worked with me for three decades!
So I said to her, “You knew the answer. Why did you come ask me?” She shrugged and said, “I just wanted to be sure.”
I smiled and told her, “I trust you. I know you’ll make good decisions. You don’t need my approval. Just do it.”
Growing Leaders, Not Just Reducing Interruptions
And that’s when I realized this wasn’t just about reducing interruptions from questions — it was about growing leaders.
If we want our teams to think like us, we have to stop being the source of all answers and start being the source of confidence.
Saying, “What do you think?” is a signal that I believe in them. And that trust is contagious — they start believing in themselves too.
Expanding the Approach Office-Wide
I also realized this “answer-giving” habit wasn’t just a doctor problem — it was affecting my key team members too.
We had three staff members who had unintentionally become the “go-to” people in the office. Two of them were constantly fielding insurance questions, and another was our go-to contact lens person.
Their days were full of interruptions, and it was clearly impacting their productivity and focus. So, I handed out more sticky notes. I asked them to put their own version of “What do you think?” on their computers as a gentle nudge to stop doing everything for everyone.
Eventually, they upgraded to digital sticky notes, but the effect was the same — fewer interruptions from questions, more ownership.
The Power of Ownership and Teaching
Recently, I found out that one of our team members had figured out how to edit patient letter templates in our EHR. I was surprised — I hadn’t shown her how.
Turns out, she had gone to one of the “sticky note” veterans, and instead of just doing it for her, that staff member taught her how to do it herself. I felt so proud of both of them — and honestly, a little vindicated. It was a clear sign that the culture was shifting in the right direction.
Try It Yourself: The Sticky Note Challenge
So, if your day is full of little staff questions and decision fatigue, grab a sticky note. Write “What do you think?” on it. Stick it on your computer. And the next time someone walks in with a problem, try it out.
You might be surprised how often they already know the answer.
Read another recent column by Dr. Sorrenson
Laurie Sorrenson, OD, FAAO, is president of Lakeline Vision Source in Cedar Park, Texas, and the Professional Editor of Review of Optometric Business (ROB). To contact her: lsorrenson@gmail.com.
