Good leaders ask a lot of questions. Great leaders ask a lot of smart questions. What’s the difference? (Good question. You’re on your way to being a great leader already!)
Of course, there’s always room for a classic “Yes/No” question in the midst of a discussion. “Did you complete the project we discussed last week?” is a fine question. It serves a purpose. It’s not, however, the deep, probing question that changes the game at all. It doesn’t spark creativity or problem solving. It doesn’t encourage conversation. You asked. They answer. You both move on.
“What was the biggest challenge you experienced while completing that project” on the other hand, is an open-ended question that can help guide future experiences and lead to growth in both your team and the individual answering. Great leaders don’t stop with yes/no questions. They ask open-ended questions with the intent of listening to the answer and learning from it.
It’s not helpful to have to follow up someone’s question with your own questions because you’re not actually sure what it is they’re trying to ask you. The great, productive questions are clear. There’s no ambiguity or sense of ulterior motive. Your team knows what you’re asking and they reply with an answer that gives you the information you’re actually looking for.
Consider these two questions:
The reality is you are ultimately asking the same thing in both questions. You are acknowledging your team member is running behind on this project and you want to understand why. The first question, however, is going to set the other person on the defensive. The other, while recognizing that things aren’t on track right now, opens the door for an honest conversation seeking solutions instead of excuses.
From brainstorming sessions to project updates and everything in between, great leaders ask questions to understand what’s known. It’s more than simply asking “What?” and “Who?” though. This is probing deeper to understand “Why?” and “How?” These questions press folks to move beyond a surface understanding to uncover the full picture.
If your team is brainstorming a new service offering, don’t stop at “What can we offer? Who would want to buy it?” Push deeper. “Why would they want to pay someone to take on this service instead of doing it themselves? Why would they want us to team with them vs. the competition? How would we measure success?”
You’ve got the data. Your team has asked and answered all the “Why?” and “How?” questions you could collectively think of. You’re ready. Right? Wait. Now consider “What if…?”
This is important, when you start working through “what if?” questions, don’t hamper discussions with strict parameters and assumptions. Go ahead and give space for the unconventional query.
What if we can’t source the parts needed? What back-up options might we need to consider to meet demand if there’s a supply issue? What if you offer a 30-day free trial? What if you bundle the new service with an existing package for certain accounts to build experience and gather user case studies? What if sales take off and you need to ramp up staff quickly? What roles might you need to fill? What if you tried to build your product with this feature instead of that one? What if it’s solar vs. battery-powered? What if…
Of course, there is a balance to this one. You want to dream outside the box and you want to create a game plan that enables you to pivot and respond in a timely manner if things aren’t quite the ideal you planned to launch with. You also don’t want to paralyze the process.
Your team has some amazing ideas – on paper. If you want to move them from ideas to reality, what steps do you need to take to make it happen? Great leaders end discussions by asking “What’s next?” What steps will we take to continue moving this forward? (Or to determine if we need to not move forward on this?) How are we going to get this done? What milestones will we need to hit and when? What will success look like?
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