What if you’re not that Smart
Don’t worry if you aren’t the smartest person in the room; stay curious and work hard.
Curiosity and hard work takes leaders further than indulgent intelligence. If you’re intelligent, stay curious and work hard. If you feel dumb, stay curious and work hard.
Leaders who don’t ask questions are dumb, even if they’re smart.
Easy:
Hard work without curiosity results in repeated head-banging. But, the good thing about curiosity is, it’s easy. Just ask questions.
The trouble is, curiosity feels slow for leaders who just want to get things done. So…
Smart leaders train themselves to ask questions, before making statements, even if they don’t feel curious.
Great questions:
“Good questions inform. Great questions transform.” John Maxwell
I asked some of the best question-askers, “What helps leaders ask great questions?”
Confidence:
Warren Berger, author of, “A More Beautiful Question,” said, “Confidence.”
Warren explained leaders must be confident enough to admit they don’t have all the answers and daring enough to, “ask bold, ambitious, beautiful questions.”
Might:
Bob Tiede, owner and author of, “LeadingWithQuestions.com,” said, “Might.”
Make frequent use of the word, “Might.” Instead of, “What is the best way for us to increase sales?” Ask, “What might be the best way for us to increase sales?”
Commitment:
Mark Miller, author of, “Chess Not Checkers,” said, “Commitment.”
A commitment to life-long learning (helps leaders ask great questions) – Without this, the weeds of pride will choke out your questions.
Others:
Pam Smith, VP for Student Advancement at Biblical Theological Seminary, said, “Others.”
“Begin from the position that great questions are not about you; they are about helping others find transformational answers within themselves.”
Connect:
Connect questions with something important in a person’s life.
“I know you enjoy golf, ‘How might we approach this opportunity with the second shot in mind?'”
How might leaders craft great questions?
What’s most important about asking questions?
**Keep a look out for more posts on curiosity and questions.
When heading into a new ministry adventure my associate and I reach out to 2 or 3 leaders doing exceptional ministry in the area that we are exploring– and ask our favorite question–“Can we take you out to lunch and hear all about what you’ve learned along the way to this wonderful place you are at today?” We call it our Pastor Road Trip to Champion Churches. Next one is coming up in August. We come away with information, inspiration and a great relationship…for future questions!
Thanks Scott. That’s brilliant!
Your blog is one of the best places I visit to learn new tips about leadership.
Questions sure open doors to numerous opportunities.
Thanks, Dan!
Thanks Samuel. Best wishes.
I LOVE the CONNECT aspect…bridge building creates an environment of mutual understanding and compassion…and productivity. Great post Dan!
Thanks Margie. I’ve found that using their language and metaphors helps get their juices flowing. It means that, as leaders, we need to know and understand our teammates.
🙂
The ‘weeds of pride will choke out your questions’ – love it, love it, love it.
How might we craft the questions? – with candid good humour, integrity and the simple objective of improving the ‘environment’ of all those in the conversation (and by default others as well).
Thanks Richard. Me too! When I looked at Mark’s answer to the question, it seemed so forward looking. He didn’t just answer the question about great questions. He gave me a principle of success that finds expression in asking questions, or not.
Hi Kathy: I’m sorry my comment got below your response as a reply. I must be getting a bit old
in my elder age, after all I am only able to sit up and take a little nourishment…just kidding. Seriously, I really don’t know how I made that error. Please accept my apology.–Books
Right you are there Richard! I think we can pretty much relate this with what Warren Berger told about confidence. True leaders are always curious and they must have that confidence to admit that they don’t have all the answers. At the end of the day, their curiosity helps them to be molded as who they are now. This is such a great post, thanks Dan!
Hi Dan – once again great topic. I would add:
– ask open questions ( those that begin with who, what, where, when, why and how and can’t be answered with ‘yes’ or ‘no’) provide opportunity for exploration, deepening the conversation.
-be open, in a place of ambiguity, receptive to the answer provided.
-continue to ask open questions until you have clarity, understanding the information provided.
Dan, you’re right about questions inspiring thought. I really did not think I had anything to say, yet in all professions, “essential questions” are the mark of the true professional. Plumbers, doctors, electricians, lawyers, accountants, leaders, etc., all depend on the effective ability to ask essential “diagnostic and therapeutic” questions.
Questions establish credibility and convey the wisdom of the questioner. Effective leaders are fearless about asking questions because a well-framed question can highlight the understanding of an issue, and communicate the questioner’s point of view. We can tell more from a person by the questions they ask–than the answers they give.
Questions drive to the heart of an issue. Leaders ask questions that filter the critical information from the noise, and help connect the dots. They take a step back and ask, Why is this the case? How does this affect us? What are we assuming? What do we need to know that we don’t yet know? What other questions do we need to be asking right now?
Questions get people to focus on the potential for positive change, rather than negative perceptions. This is especially needed today when uncertainty and bad news plague even the best of organizations. By asking a question that ignites employees’ imagination, essential questions have the capacity to rekindle a sense of optimism.
Questions encourage collaboration. Well-constructed questions can resolve the tension of seemingly opposing viewpoints, as well as get people excited about working together. A question steers the conversation away from the zero-sum mindset that opposing parties typically hold and find ways to connect the valid aspects from each. Then, they unearth the motivations behind each viewpoint. The resulting information can lead to questions that focus them on integrative (different from compromising) and more effective options.
And questions foster a stronger sense of personal ownership and accountability. Questions, as opposed to declarations, create a different power dynamic between the questioner and the respondent. Posing a question can elevate the sense of power of the respondent without diminishing the power of the questioner.
Ultimately essential questions develop leadership talent in others. Questions have the power to prompt reflection on the part of the respondent. Being prescriptive helps people connect the dots, and to realize they already know the right answer. In wrestling with some tough situations, simply start with questions like, what makes this challenging and what would you like to see happen. In the process, others gain a greater awareness of self and the issues. As they begin to recognize and grow more confident in their personal capabilities, they also begin to unleash their true capability potential: “He can…who thinks he can.”
It’s not only important to ask powerful questions, it’s also fun. It’s a great skill that requires practice. It also demands that we put our ability and prescriptions aside and really ask, really listen. That’s the question.
Thanks Books. I appreciate you adding so much value. “Essential questions are the mark of a true professional.” KaPow!
Thanks Kathy. Face ambiguity with curiosity. It feels counter-intuitive, but it’s the only way to find clarity.
Hey Dan,
What a great post!
I often think it’s a bad idea to be the smartest guy in the room, because it means that you don’t think you have anything to learn from others which in my experience kills creativity and morale on a project.
It can be intimidating being in a room with people much smarter than you, but if you humble yourself and follow the advice in this article you will gain valuable insight!
I’m gonna tweet this out to my followers now!
Best,
Jon Lee
Thanks Jon. It takes humility to let others know and not feel the need to outdo them. Thanks for the reminder that leadership, curiosity, learning, connecting, and so many other things rely on humility for their existence.
It’s a hard question to pose to yourself… but I think you answer it well. Being the smartest person in the room is rarely a recipe for success, but curiosity and hard work *usually* are.
Got that great promotion you wanted? Great. Stay curious and work hard.
Got fired instead? Sorry, dude. Stay curious and work hard.
Great great great advice to deal with most any situation. 🙂
Thanks deciduous. So glad these ideas spoke to you. It seems like you can add, “work hard and stay curious” to every leadership situation you can imagine. 🙂
This is spot on advice. I’ve seen this in action and I can say it worked well. A former colleague (now retired) joined the organisation in a fairly senior leadership position. He was a former RAF officer and was not a science specialist. He came in, sat down and said “I’m not a scientist. You guys are the scientists, and from what I can see you’re damned (he used a stronger word) good ones. I’m relying on you to tell me how stuff works, so I’m going to asking a lot of questions. If I sound stupid, I’m learning. I’ll tell you what we have to do, you tell me how we do it, what I need to ask other people for and who I need to shout at to get you what you need. Right, let’s go.”
Now that worked!
KaPow! What a great illustration. Thanks Mitch.
As a person committed to life-long learning, I’m always asking questions. I have one now. Can you ask too many questions? As a new executive assistant I was fired once for asking too many questions. Yes. That’s what was written in my HR file and said during my termination meeting. As a new employee to a company, I thought I was doing the right thing by asking questions.
I have since moved on to bigger and better things.
Thanks Ava. I’m not sure if you asked too many questions. But, I believe people can ask too many questions. Insecurity makes us ask too many questions rather than taking initiative, for example. In another case, I remember an employee admitting that when she didn’t like her assignment, she just kept on asking questions. She used questions as a foot dragging strategy.
I’m really glad you brought this up.
I heard Andy Stanley on his leadership blog say he asks his team, “Is there anything bugging you?”
Open casual question that I have used successfully.
Thank you, Dan! This is so true in medicine! The most effective physicians know to ask the important questions–what are the patients’ values and goals? What do they understand about their condition(s)? How do they see their own best health? What are the barriers to healthy habits and taking charge of their own behaviors? When doctors see themselves as only having answers, the patient-physician relationship diminishes and everybody suffers. I think one of your recent posts said something like leaders listen before they speak. I think this is true of anybody who values good relationships!
Such good advice in very wording: “If you’re intelligent, stay curious and work hard. If you feel dumb, stay curious and work hard. Leaders who don’t ask questions are dumb, even if they’re smart.” If you still don’t get it: YOU’RE DUMB IF YOU DON’T ASK QUESTIONS!!!
Thanks as always!!!
Hi a few months ago i attended a conference called “10 things I’ve learned about leadership” which mentioned curiosity as one of the most important things to keep on track and now that you metioned too, i have a question how does a young person could found enough motivation to stay curious now when it’s so easy to have an answer for almost all thanks to internet and ‘we’ talking in a point of view as majority keep staying at the confort zone doing the poorest researchers
Something I tell myself daily
Thank you for the set of questions. Asking why continuously is the best way to reach to a new point of view – to a better point of view. Also, admitting that you don’t know stuff is the most liberating and helpful thing in the world. It removes the burden and helps you become more curious.