Take action: Ask open-ended questions
Open-ended questions cannot be answered by a simple yes/no but requires more thought and it is something all leaders should do in their daily work.
There are two obvious advantages of asking open-ended questions. First, it’s an excellent way to help a person explore their thought and find new creative solutions to a situation. Second, it can help the receiver be more objective in their answer.
“I don’t like to boss people around. I don’t get motivated by telling people what to do, I don’t take any pleasure in it. So I manage with curiosity, by asking questions.” — Brian Grazer
So how can you ask open-ended questions?
It is very odd to answer only ”yes” or ”No” to such question. That’s why it normally starts with a ”W” like ”What”, ”When”, ”Which”, ”Where”, ”Who” or ”How” (the only exemption).
The opposite to open-ended question is closed-ended questions. Let’s look at some examples.
Example of open-ended questions
• “What do you mean when you say…?”
• “How would you go about doing that?”
• “What do you think are the biggest obstacles?”
• “What do you think the end result will be?”
• “Great idea you are putting forward, how do you see the next steps?”
Example of closed-ended questions
• “Do you like this project?”
• “Was it a good meeting?”
• “Will it be a good end result?”
So, when should you use open-ended questions?
• If you are interested in ideas for problem solving.
• To motivate your colleague to think in new ways.
• To show you are interested in your colleagues view
• When you really can’t anticipate the answer.
Go out there and practice and see how you can get your colleagues to explore their thoughts!
Stay in the loop,
Your Personal Leadership Trainer — Yomento
