Lead with Questions: Elevate Your Impact

I often see leaders default to the role of ‘answer provider.’ They jump in too quickly with solutions, advice, and directives. While this might feel efficient at the moment, it’s actually a missed opportunity. If you want to elevate your leadership and truly empower your team, you must shift your focus to the power of questions.

Why You Need to Ask More Questions

Think of questions as your leadership superpower. Here’s why they matter so much:

• Questions unlock your team’s potential: Your team members have valuable insights, ideas, and problem-solving skills. The right questions tap into that brilliance, unearthing solutions you might have never considered.
• Questions cultivate ownership: When you involve people in the solution-finding process by asking questions, they feel a greater sense of responsibility and investment in the outcome. This is how you build engaged, proactive teams.
• Questions demonstrate trust: Micromanaging and constantly telling people what to do sends a message that you don’t trust them to figure things out. When you lead with questions, you show that you believe in their abilities and trust fosters confidence and loyalty.
• Questions lead to smarter decisions: Questions force you to slow down, gather more information, challenge your biases, and consider all angles. This comprehensive approach is how you make sound, informed decisions that stand the test of time.

The Leadership Question Toolkit

Ready to elevate your questioning skills? Here’s your action plan:

• Prioritize open-ended questions: Focus on questions that start with “how,” “what,” and “why.” These encourage deeper thinking and richer responses.
• Dig deeper with follow-ups: Don’t just accept surface-level answers. Ask things like, “Tell me more about that,” or “What makes you think that?”
• Ensure clarity: Avoid miscommunications by using clarifying questions like, “Could you walk me through an example of that?” or “What do you mean specifically by [term]?”
• Challenge the norm: Don’t get trapped in a “that’s how we’ve always done it” mentality. Questions like “What would happen if we tried something completely different?” or “Are there any assumptions we’re making that need to be re-examined?” open the door to innovation.

Make it a Habit.

• Practice makes progress: Consciously integrate questions into your everyday interactions with your team. Start small and gradually work your way up.
• Lead by example: Create a culture where questioning and exploration are celebrated. When you model this behaviour, your team will naturally follow.
• Focus on listening: Actively listen to the answers provided. Paying close attention shows respect and allows you to tailor your following questions even better.

The Takeaway

Leaders who ask powerful questions reap tremendous benefits. You’ll unlock your team’s potential, build trust, make better decisions, and cultivate a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement.

Remember, it’s not about having all the answers. It’s about having confidence in your team and using questions to guide them in discovering the best solutions together.

Let me know what questions you have used to change the conversation and get buy-in from your teams.