At the same time, if I coworker comes asking me for something _strange_, my first response is to gently inquire as to the direction of their efforts instead of

At the same time, if I coworker comes asking me for something _strange_, my first response is to gently inquire as to the direction of their efforts instead of helping them find an answer. Often enough, this ends up going back up their "call stack" to some goofy logic branch, which we then together undo, and everyone is pleased.