Dear Managers and Leaders!
In my last four posts, I classified questions into the two broad categories of open and closed questions and then looked at a list of open questions to clarify a vision. I also looked at implicit and explicit questions to say that implicit questions can be dangerous for leaders and urged you to be as explicit as possible with your requests. I then talked about constructive questions. Today I conclude my journey into the world of questions as leadership tools by looking at questions from a different angle: people asking you questions!
So far in our analysis of questions as leadership tools, we have only looked at one side of the coin. We only looked at the leader asking questions to various people, in various formats. But is the questioning supposed to go in a single direction? Should it always be the leader asking questions? I personally feel that it is crucial for a leader to be constantly questioned, challenged. A good leader should be open to comments because being questioned and challenged means that the resulting ideas or plans will be stronger, better thought out.
A good leader is not there to win an argument or to crush his opponents. A good leader exists to achieve his purpose in the best way possible. He welcomes, even invites, constructive feedback, critiques, and challenges from everyone to reinforce his ideas, to fine-tune his plans.
Some leaders feel threatened when being questioned by their teams. However, I feel that it is quite re-assuring when your ideas are questioned by your team or others. Having multiple people discussing the best way to attack a problem always leads to a better solution, one that encompasses a broader spectrum of possibilities. A team questioning what is happening also shows a lot of interest and concerns. This is huge for a leader! You should be grateful when it happens.
What about you dear leader, do you feel good when being questioned by your teams and others? Is your commitment to your purpose and mission so strong that you openly accept input from everyone? Please question my thoughts by adding comments below.
This concludes our series on questions as powerful leadership tools. I hope you enjoyed the last five posts on that topic. Thanks for following!
Until next time,
Remi Cote
PS: If you find these postings interesting and would like to learn more about what I can do for you and your team, then please visit www.innovachron.com or contact me directly at remi@innovachron.com.
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