by Laura Camacho
You probably know it’s better to ask questions than to tell your team the answer. But answering their questions is so much faster! Easier! Who has time to play Socrates?
To help build your question-asking skill (aka “thinking skill”), I’m sharing some go-to leadership questions my clients and I have shared with each other.
Caveat! When asking questions, prepare your team for this possibly new exercise. No one is on trial! The goal is always to find the best solution, to grow and/or improve the business. It’s win-win; no one fails.
Use that curiosity to drive thought-provoking questions. (If you’re rusty with asking interesting questions, go spend some time with a four-year-old). This leadership approach empowers and encourages your team members to think more deeply, to figure out answers and articulate solutions. Your questions actually show that you trust them. Why? Because you’re not telling them what to do!
When someone brings you a half-baked idea, a very rough first draft….
“This is a good start. How do you see this working?”
“Who is this for and what problem does it solve?” (Two questions for the price of one!)
“Why would they be excited to do this thing you are suggesting?”
If the idea seems viable then move to these…
“What is this for?”
“What's the tricky part?”
“What does success look like?”
If the proposal involves other collaborators…
“Whom do we need buy-in from in order to advance this proposal?”
“How can we tap into resources from engineering, sales, suppliers, partners, etc.?"
“How can we experiment with this idea in a way to use less overhead?”
If you’re intrigued, but want more insight…
“How does this build value for the company and our brand?”
“What constraints are we working within?"
“What would be the first next steps?”
And for giving useful feedback, try these…
“What can you do more of, or do differently to help make our customers happy?”
“What skills should you be developing to increase your impact?”
Laura Camacho, MBA, PhD, PMP, is an executive coach, trainer and speaker who opened Mixonian Institute in 2009 to rid the world of boring business communication. She has created innovative training programs for local and international companies, related to leadership effectiveness, excellent feedback, growth mindset and emotional intelligence. Multilingual, Dr. Camacho’s career highlights include facilitating The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People (in Spanish,) being editor of the leading management newsletter in Venezuela. For 10 years she taught communication classes at ECU and College of Charleston. www.mixonian.com
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