Published on Wednesday, Feb 07, 2007
WHAT'S your leadership style? Management trainers will vouch that this oft-asked question brings forth varying answers. However, what nobody ever mentions is that we can lead by asking questions.
Before you laugh out loud... let me clarify. The tenet of `leading by asking' finds an echo in the Chinese saying- Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.
Most leaders swear by the `easy-way-out' management technique of telling subordinates what to do and how to do it. Providing such ready-to-use answers to problems is swift, expedient and convenient in the short-run. However, continually barking out orders or spoon-feeding solutions hampers employee development and slams the door on their inherent potential, ingenuity and enthusiasm.
Real leadership stems from constant questioning. Asking pertinent questions stimulates employees to exercise their brain cells and come up with fresh, innovative and powerful ideas. By forcing them to think critically, it unleashes their dammed creativity and paves the way to new opportunities and knowledge.
James Byars, founder of The World Question Centre that assembles thinking intellectuals, avers, I can answer the question, but am I bright enough to ask it?' So, rather than stating their logic and ideas, leaders should ask questions to prompt employees to explore ideas and come up with their own solutions. The active involvement also fuels greater buy-in, motivates performance and builds self-esteem. Even internationally acclaimed management consultant Michael Marquardt reiterates in his cutting-edge book, Leading with Questions, "Effective leaders use questions to encourage participation and teamwork, foster outside-the-box thinking, empower others, build relationships with customers and much more". Ultimately, the practice of reaching out to the workforce with an `ask, don't tell' philosophy will creatively transform the status quo and generate a successful corporate culture.
The art of asking questions
Jack Welch, GE's legendary former CEO believes, "Business leadership is all about knowing what questions to ask subordinates. That's all managing is, just coming up with the right questions and getting the right answers".
Merely posing questions is not enough; the kind of questions one asks makes a world of difference to the quality of responses. In fact, it differentiates between inspiring employee allegiance or sabotage.
To be successful, leaders should learn to ask powerful questions that generate short-term results along with learning and excellence in the long haul. The right questioning is that which achieves specific results by motivating and empowering individuals, teams as well as the organisation at large.
Frivolous, ineffectual, dithering, ambiguous or general questioning insults employees' self-respect and intelligence. Avoid rhetorical or leading questions as they just foist interpretations and ideas on the listeners. Again, operating on broad assumptions or prior conclusions will elicit inferior/useless answers. Even presenting closed questions only prospects `yes' or `no' answers.
Instead, concentrate on genuine, intuitive and searching questions that engage and persuade exploration. Address challenging queries to push the edges of employee thinking and motivate a pursuit for resolution. Such open questioning not only gives people a voice and stimulates effective discussions, but also broadcasts respect for their opinions, expertise and communicates value. It thus lends itself well to various settings like creative problem solving, team building, direction-setting and valuable learning.
If still unconvinced, try soliciting, `What do we need to offer our customers to make them stay on?' or `How can you make your job more effective?' and watch a flood of valuable suggestions flow in. Else, ask, `How can we save money?' and the next big breakthrough will leap from your workforce.
A recipe for lasting success:
Formulate a well-crafted skeleton script in advance to have a rich repertoire of good questions at hand.
Be on a constant lookout for opportunities to select transformational queries like how, why, what, who, when, and ask them effectively.
Keep the question succinct and explain it clearly to avoid misunderstandings.
Never answer your own questions; it's quite off-putting.
Wait for a response and patiently hear out the answer without needless interruptions.
Carefully listen to the ideas and show genuine interest. Be open to divergent, yet productive thoughts.
Request validation of opinions/ideas with evidence
Use techniques like mapping to capture the new learning and ideas in a conceptual or visual structure.
Enact solutions based on the discussions and do not hesitate to acknowledge/reward the value of individual suggestions.
A learner-friendly environment will transform good leaders into great ones. As Peter Drucker upholds, "The leader of the past was a person who told. The leader of the future will be a person who asks".
Before you laugh out loud... let me clarify. The tenet of `leading by asking' finds an echo in the Chinese saying- Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.
Most leaders swear by the `easy-way-out' management technique of telling subordinates what to do and how to do it. Providing such ready-to-use answers to problems is swift, expedient and convenient in the short-run. However, continually barking out orders or spoon-feeding solutions hampers employee development and slams the door on their inherent potential, ingenuity and enthusiasm.
Real leadership stems from constant questioning. Asking pertinent questions stimulates employees to exercise their brain cells and come up with fresh, innovative and powerful ideas. By forcing them to think critically, it unleashes their dammed creativity and paves the way to new opportunities and knowledge.
James Byars, founder of The World Question Centre that assembles thinking intellectuals, avers, I can answer the question, but am I bright enough to ask it?' So, rather than stating their logic and ideas, leaders should ask questions to prompt employees to explore ideas and come up with their own solutions. The active involvement also fuels greater buy-in, motivates performance and builds self-esteem. Even internationally acclaimed management consultant Michael Marquardt reiterates in his cutting-edge book, Leading with Questions, "Effective leaders use questions to encourage participation and teamwork, foster outside-the-box thinking, empower others, build relationships with customers and much more". Ultimately, the practice of reaching out to the workforce with an `ask, don't tell' philosophy will creatively transform the status quo and generate a successful corporate culture.
The art of asking questions
Jack Welch, GE's legendary former CEO believes, "Business leadership is all about knowing what questions to ask subordinates. That's all managing is, just coming up with the right questions and getting the right answers".
Merely posing questions is not enough; the kind of questions one asks makes a world of difference to the quality of responses. In fact, it differentiates between inspiring employee allegiance or sabotage.
To be successful, leaders should learn to ask powerful questions that generate short-term results along with learning and excellence in the long haul. The right questioning is that which achieves specific results by motivating and empowering individuals, teams as well as the organisation at large.
Frivolous, ineffectual, dithering, ambiguous or general questioning insults employees' self-respect and intelligence. Avoid rhetorical or leading questions as they just foist interpretations and ideas on the listeners. Again, operating on broad assumptions or prior conclusions will elicit inferior/useless answers. Even presenting closed questions only prospects `yes' or `no' answers.
Instead, concentrate on genuine, intuitive and searching questions that engage and persuade exploration. Address challenging queries to push the edges of employee thinking and motivate a pursuit for resolution. Such open questioning not only gives people a voice and stimulates effective discussions, but also broadcasts respect for their opinions, expertise and communicates value. It thus lends itself well to various settings like creative problem solving, team building, direction-setting and valuable learning.
If still unconvinced, try soliciting, `What do we need to offer our customers to make them stay on?' or `How can you make your job more effective?' and watch a flood of valuable suggestions flow in. Else, ask, `How can we save money?' and the next big breakthrough will leap from your workforce.
A recipe for lasting success:
Formulate a well-crafted skeleton script in advance to have a rich repertoire of good questions at hand.
Be on a constant lookout for opportunities to select transformational queries like how, why, what, who, when, and ask them effectively.
Keep the question succinct and explain it clearly to avoid misunderstandings.
Never answer your own questions; it's quite off-putting.
Wait for a response and patiently hear out the answer without needless interruptions.
Carefully listen to the ideas and show genuine interest. Be open to divergent, yet productive thoughts.
Request validation of opinions/ideas with evidence
Use techniques like mapping to capture the new learning and ideas in a conceptual or visual structure.
Enact solutions based on the discussions and do not hesitate to acknowledge/reward the value of individual suggestions.
A learner-friendly environment will transform good leaders into great ones. As Peter Drucker upholds, "The leader of the past was a person who told. The leader of the future will be a person who asks".
PAYAL CHANANIA
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