Ask More Questions

by Billy Anderson

Bad leaders have all the answers. Great leaders do not.

We live in a world where management is expected to have all the answers, all the time. If an employee comes to you with a question you probably feel you should give an answer immediately (God forbid the “boss” doesn’t know something). Why do we do this? Because admitting we don’t know something means showing vulnerability, which many people assume is a weakness.

If that’s you, you make up the majority of management who underutilizes their team’s potential. As a leader, you will get more from your team when you ask more questions and give fewer answers. Asking them questions leverages their skills while showing them respect, and respect motivates the right people more than anything.
 

Try It

Next time an employee comes to you saying, “I’m not sure what to do about this”, try responding with “What do you want to do about it?” Chances are they’ll be taken off guard the first time, but they’ll get used to using their brain more and they will come to you less often with challenges they realize they can sort out on their own. They will then feel empowered, and empowerment fuels creativity and hard work more than green beer fuels St Paddy’s Day.
 

Goals

Now let’s look at your organizational goals. Every organization (and individual) needs goals: they provide direction, focus, and a strategic filter for decision-making. However, goals and guesswork both start with the same letter for a reason: goals are educated guesses.

We set goals based on what we know about the company, the competition and the market as it stands right now. But all that will change over time. If you follow your five-year strategic plan to the letter for the entire five years, you’ll go out of business. You set goals and targets in order to provide direction, but you have to accept they might change.
 

Next

Once you have your goals and strategy, you need to determine how often you will revisit them to see if they still apply. Put the review dates in the calendar. At this point you’ve figured out what you need to do to get there.

Now you can focus on who you need to be as an organization. Who are your employees being when they’re at their best? This will link to your organizational Values because your company will perform at its best when living true to its Values and Mission (assuming they were created properly in the first place, which most aren’t).

So try not knowing. Ask your employees more questions more often. Have the courage to know when a plan no longer works and needs to be revised. Have the guts to admit you don’t know and follow with “…but I’m confident we’ll figure it out”. That will gain the respect of your team and encourage them to do more.
 

Links

• image courtesy of Paul Moore

Billy Anderson is a Courage Coach & Speaker, and founder of Made You Think Coaching. He helps people get the life they want, because once they have that they perform like superstars.You’ll find Billy’s profile on the Experion website and LinkedIn.