My life and leadership changed radically when I stopped trying to have better answers and started to ask better questions.
Not as a technique. As a habit — one I developed over years of running businesses, leading teams, mentoring executives and watching what separated effective leaders who moved things forward from the ones who stayed permanently busy.
The right question does something piece of advice can’t: it forces a person to think deeply, and that in turn leads to profound answers, change in perspective, and action that leads to better results.
Here are some of my favorite questions to help you become a more effective leader:
When choosing areas of primary focus:
- What measurable results do I / we attempt to achieve?
- Why do we want to achieve these results?
- What 1-3 things we must accomplish in the next 90 days that will bring the greatest impact on achieving goals in the end of the year, or nothing else we achieve really matters much?
When you’re overwhelmed with tasks:
- If I could do only 3 things this week, what would they be?
- Of those 3 things, which should I start with NOW, i.e. what is the most important thing?
- Who can help me to make a significant progress on these 3 most important things?
When you’re solving problems:
- In a single sentence, what is the problem?
- Why does the problem exist, i.e. what is the real cause?
- Of all the potential solutions to this problem, which one has the greatest potential to be right? And which one involves the lowest risk?
When you’re helping your team to execute:
- What are the biggest obstacles you face in reaching this particular goal?
- What decisions do you need from me? How can I help?
- In order to do what we have to do with excellence what things do we have to know and understand now?
- What progress have you made?
When you’re making major decisions:
- In one sentence, what is the real decision I’m facing? Am I dealing with a cause or a symptom?
- Why is it important to me?
- How will this decision impact all the people involved?
- What will be the short-term and long-term impact of this decision?
- What legal, moral or ethical concerns are involved in this decision?
When you’re building genuine relationships:
- How are you doing personally?
- What am I doing that frustrates you?
- What can I do that makes you feel loved, respected, appreciated?
- How can I help?
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