An African proverb from Ghana was projected on the screen as I entered the room of one of the seminars I attended at a conference for educational leaders. It stated, "A child who asks questions does not become a fool.” This proverb's truth extends past childhood and into adulthood. But why, then, do many adults fear asking questions that they feel might make them look incompetent? If we fail to ask those questions, the fear of looking incompetent will become a reality. Asking those questions will enhance our knowledge and keep us from incompetency. We should continue asking questions, and the people I watch and listen to who are known as competent and effective are individuals who have mastered the art of asking questions.
As leaders, we must understand that our influence and competence increase as we ask the right questions. Asking questions is not just a good strategy to gain information and help us better understand concepts, but it's an excellent and effective strategy to use in our leadership practice. How can we effectively lead someone if we don't know where they need to be led from? The mindsets, philosophies, and values of those we lead are revealed through the answers we receive from our questions. How do we know those we are leading understand our vision or expectations? How do we know if our employees, children, and community members understand the concepts and are ready to move into the implementation phase if we do not check for their understanding and ask the right questions?
General Stanley McChrystal, along with Tantum Collins, David Silverman, and Chris Fussell are authors of one of the books I just finished reading, entitled Teams of Teams, which states, "There's an art to asking questions. Briefings are valuable but normally communicate primarily what the subordinate leader wants you to know, and often the picture they provide is incomplete. Thoughtful questions can help fill in the blanks." Later on in this section of the book, McCrystal states that he was taught "a great technique" of asking a simple question, and he began to use "a specific question when talking to junior officers and sergeants..." So, as leaders, we must master the concept of being intentional about the questions we ask the people we are leading. Having one or more specific questions to ask those we are leading can be the key to unlocking the productivity we are expecting.
Application:
- Ask Clarifying Questions: We should not make decisions without gaining clarity of the entire situation, the problem at hand, or even the mindsets of those we lead. We should ask clarifying questions to help us understand a concept, solve problems, and understand the mindset and perspective of our people before making a decision for implementation. We can gain clarity through questions created on surveys and asked during conversations with those we lead and those who are our trusted and reliable sources.
- Develop Coaching Questions: We should develop specific and intentional questions to increase the productivity of those we are coaching. Whatever context we are in, we need to ask questions that are suitable for the context and can lead to positive results within the context. I have asked questions in the past to those I have coached, but developing one or two foundational questions to start the conversation and can always reference to is my next step.
- Create Learning and Growth Questions: A concept I am learning to implement is to bring questions geared toward my personal growth to meetings I have with my coaches. This is a concept I learned from listening to John Maxwell on his leadership podcast. Now, I go into these meetings with at least three questions to ask my coaches. When I receive the answers to the questions I ask, I leave the meeting with practical and tangible information that I would not have received if I did not have and ask the pre-planned questions.
Conclusion:
What question(s) will you ask your employees, your children, those you are coaching, and those who are coaching you? Don't take the art of asking questions for granted. It is what I have observed the best of the best leaders do, and they do it well. Questions can motivate, inspire, encourage, and direct the actions and mindsets of those you lead. Specific questions create opportunities for people to understand the vision and know how to move forward. Let's plan to intentionally ask questions because our specific questions can bring out the best in those we lead.
Additional Comments:
I want to hear from you. Please post your comments and suggestions in the comments section on this page. Thank you for reading or listening to this blog post. Stay tuned for the next blog, scheduled to be posted on Monday, May 5, 2025.
