LEADERS ASK THEIR TEAMMATES GREAT “WHAT” QUESTIONS
As we have discussed here previously, the kinds of questions leaders ask their team members can make the difference between a productive, insightful exchange and a short, meaningless unhelpful exchange.
For example, if a manager asks her direct report “How’s it going on that big project?”, the team member can simply reply “Fine.” That response cuts off the conversation. Unless, the manager follows up with “Tell me more,” the exchange has concluded.
I recently asked a friend “How’s your new job going?” She replied “Good.” So I followed up with “How is your new boss?” She smiled and said “OK.” Then I asked, “Well, how are your teammates at this new job?” And she responded “They’re good.”
Often “How” questions do not lead to helpful conversations with the people we manage. The same applies for “Why” questions or “When” questions. They can produce short, non-illuminating responses from our team members.
“What” questions, on the other hand, can frequently lead into revealing conversations that help both us as the leader and the other person as the teammate.
I was reminded of this important point several weeks ago when I watched a coaching demonstration given by Marcia Reynolds. Marcia is one of the leading coaches in the world these days and coaches leaders of Fortune 100 companies, large not-for-profit organizations and high-ranking government officials.
During the coaching demonstration Marcia conducted with one of her existing clients, she utilized many powerful “What” questions to elicit telling responses from her client. With Marcia’s gracious permission, I am sharing some of these powerful questions with you so you can use them in meetings or conversations with the people who report to you:
-“What’s getting in the way for you here?”
-“What’s your sense of urgency here?”
-“What is it that fulfills you about this work?”
-“What’s your purpose here that really fuels you?”
-“What can you do here that will make a positive difference for others?”
-“What key value of yours is at play here?”
-“What comes up for you when I ask this question?”
-“What can you do to give yourself space to grow here?”
-“What are you hearing yourself decide here?”
-“What do you want to give yourself permission to do here?”
-“What’s come out for you in our conversation here?”
-“What’s standing in the way of your progress on this project?”
-“What is it you can envision here if you let go of your judgment?”
-“What would be most useful for you right now?”
-“What would be the starting point for You?”
-“What can you let go of here?”
-“What new work habit can you work on adopting here?”
These are examples of “What” questions posed by a master coach. You need not be a master coach – or a coach at all – to use “What” questions like these.
Rather, you need to see yourself as a leader or manager who is interested in the continued growth of your people. As good leaders, we can manage our teammates for both competence and growth, for both results and fulfillment.
Leadership is a blessing, so let’s use it wisely as we pursue our unique personal and professional paths and encourage our teammates to embrace their own paths.
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-Larry