How To Ask Better Questions As A Leader
As leaders we have questions, often many of them. However, I’ve been learning through David Marquet’s book, Leadership is Language, that we could be asking better (and perhaps fewer) questions. Working to improve this area of communication with our team, we’d likely produce better-quality results and outcomes.
As leaders, we tend to ask leading questions that get to the conclusion that we think we should have or want. However, this doesn’t always mean we get our team’s real feedback which would help us make more informed decisions.
3 Things I’ve Learned From Marquet’s Book Include:
1. Ask Questions One At A Time
Whether you are the CEO of an organization, team leader, or simply trying to lead as you parent your children, it’s likely easy to spout off three or four questions with barely a pause for a breath. They call it stacking questions. (Yeah, let’s stop that.) While it is easy to fire away a series of questions, your own agenda peeks through as you stack questions up to get the outcome you truly want.
So what’s the solution you say? Just ask one question. See how I did just that? And it’s really that simple. As leaders, if we only ask ONE question and wait for the response, then we will get a better direction on where to go next while stimulating conversation. The person you are talking to will also be more clear on the conversation’s direction rather than getting lost in a pile of stacked questions.
2. Turn Teachable Moments Into Learning Moments
As leaders we tend to try and teach (uh, correct, handle, fix?) team members when they do something wrong. You naturally want to communicate how to handle things the right way. However, it becomes so easy to get caught up with talking “at them” about what they should be doing. While correction has its place, maybe try to turn a teachable moment into a learning moment for you instead.
In other words, what could you learn about this person to help you better understand their motives, choice of action, and how to work more strategically alongside them. Trying to learn what makes them tick will help you to get better information and more effectively.
3. Utilize Questions That Will Give You the Best Info
Leaders should ask questions that provide them the most amounts of information possible rather than the types of questions that result in the least amount of info.
Let’s look at a simple example, shall we?
Question: Is it safe?
Likely Answer: You’ll get an infamous one-word response, like yes or no.
Better Question: On a scale of 1-10, how safe is it?
Potential Answer: The response will likely provide more detail and give you additional info that helps you be more informed and equipped to make a decision about the situation.
Even Better Question: Why do you think this environment is currently safe for us?
Clearest Answer: You’ll be able to cut to the chase and get a response that truly answers your question while saving the time of an unnecessary back and forth conversation between you and your team. Thorough questions receive more detailed answers.
Asking better questions saves time and equips you to make better decisions for those you lead. So let this be the week where your language, as a leader, is used to ask better, timely, and more thorough questions enabling you to lead your team or organization well.
