The talk "How I learned to stop fixing and start facilitating" from DareConf 2013 [1] really describes the core issue here very well.
No matter how much you want to, you just can't always fix things for people in the small interactions that you have with them.
And even fixing it for them isn't actually helpful unless you'll be there in the long run to take that responsibility for them.
That's why, even though it's hard and will make you feel less powerful, all you can do in these small moments is facilitate.
It's about not asking the question "How should (s)he fix this?" but "What can I do in this amount of time we have together to have the greatest positive impact on you?"
No matter how much you want to, you just can't always fix things for people in the small interactions that you have with them.
And even fixing it for them isn't actually helpful unless you'll be there in the long run to take that responsibility for them.
That's why, even though it's hard and will make you feel less powerful, all you can do in these small moments is facilitate.
It's about not asking the question "How should (s)he fix this?" but "What can I do in this amount of time we have together to have the greatest positive impact on you?"
[1] http://2013.dareconf.com/videos/wachter-boettcher