"The quality of a leader cannot be judged by the answers he gives, but by the questions he asks." ~ Simon Sinek
Leaders who go beyond just providing answers show genuine interest in their people, situation, or task and ask insightful questions, elevating the quality of leadership discourse.
Questions catalyze critical thinking, evoke awareness, expand the horizon, shift perspectives, and uncover blind spots, fostering a collaborative environment. They demonstrate a leader's curiosity, humility, and commitment to learning more before offering a solution.Â
Leaders can ask powerful questions by
Being Curious - Be genuinely curious about their operating environment, team, challenges, or situation and explore the topic without bias.
Active Listening: Practice active listening by being present at the moment, suspending thoughts that can be judgemental, listening to the person, giving them their complete attention, and being aware of paying attention not only to words but also to non-verbal cues such as tone of voice, facial expressions, and body language and listening to 'What is not said'.
Asking Powerful Questions: Asking powerful questions considers the context of the conversation, the environment, the individuals involved, and the specific circumstances to ensure relevance and appropriateness. Questions must be purposeful, open-ended, have clarity, probe beyond the surface, be empathetic, enable reflective thinking, and challenge the status quo. They should allow the generation of various options that others can evaluate to arrive at a solution. Finally, they should be engaging to capture the respondent's interest, stimulating curiosity and active engagement, making the interaction dynamic and fruitful.
Leaders who showcase these skills come across as approachable, engaging, empathetic, strategic, inclusive, adaptable, transparent, solution-oriented, and developers of talent. They are respected for valuing the innate capability of the individuals involved in the conversation and inspire them.
Lead with curiosity and elevate your impact with powerful questions that matter.
Leadership Coaching Questions
How would you describe your current level of curiosity about your operating environment and team?
What is a recent scenario where asking a more powerful question might have led to a deeper understanding or better solution?
How can you leverage insightful questions to bring out the innate capabilities of individuals in your team?
Leadership Poll
Which skill is more critical for you to ask powerful questions?
Being More Curious
Listening Actively
Being Open-minded
Others, please comment
Suggested Readings
Simon Sinek Quotes, azquotes.com, AZ Quotes 2024. https://www.azquotes.com/quote/273075, accessed January 30, 2024.