Leadership Thought #240 – Eight Questions Leaders Should Be Asking All the Time
How focused are you on asking good questions?
As a company grows, a leader’s role becomes less tangible and more symbolic. You graduate from the world of constant “doing” and need to move toward conscious “thinking” and “being.” Others will take their lead from you. You will always be a key role model, regardless of how large the company becomes or how many layers of management exist between the front line and you. If your words and actions don’t match, everyone will notice (and sooner than you think).
As I’ve covered many times in previous blogs, it becomes less and less about you working harder or having all the answers and more about you diligently asking the right questions and letting others guide you. You need to become an expert “question asker” and never miss an opportunity to interact with all employees in this manner. There are eight questions that, when asked regularly, will encourage your people and the company, as a whole, to learn and grow:
- What did you learn today that other people in the company should know?
- Is there a more effective way to do this?
- How can we improve upon what we are already doing well?
- How can we make it easier for you to do your job well?
- What are we currently doing as management that makes minimal or no sense whatsoever?
- How well are we living our cultural values as a company (note: they should know what these are)?
- What are you hearing about us or the market from our customers, vendors, or partners?
- If you were me, what significant changes would you make in the company, and why?
Don’t ever get defensive about the answers. In fact, encourage people to speak up and acknowledge their honesty and candor when this happens. You are not obligated to act on everything you hear, but if there’s a clear and sensible quick fix, please address it promptly. On the larger issues, use the information you receive as a basis to drive productive discussions among your leadership or management team. Asking insightful questions and listening to the answers are among the best skills a leader can develop.
Related articles
- The Art of Question Asking: The Other Half of Empathic Listening (cherylmcmillan.com)
- The Value – of being candid … (timesunion.com)
- The Kinds of Questions We’re Asking (sparklyredshoes.wordpress.com)
- Are You Listening? (Really?) (actlikeyoumeanbusiness.wordpress.com)
- The Question That Will Change Your Organization – Polly LaBarre – Harvard Business Review (rosemarycardno.com)
