How to Fuel Energy and Explore Possibility
The need for a quick solution prevents leaders from asking powerful questions.
What if questions are more powerful than statements?
Powerful questions:
#1. Ignite curiosity.
Curiosity comes before solution and innovation.
You know you’ve been asked a powerful question when it causes you to pause and wonder. Your eyes go to the ceiling. Your brain lights up.
#2. Uncover new insights.
The rehashing of old ideas produces stability at first and stagnation in the end.
- And what else?
- What questions should I be asking? (Use this when you aren’t sure what to ask.)
#3. Explore vision and values.
The challenge of busyness is losing sight of what matters. We’ve all ended the day wondering what we accomplished.
- What makes this important to you?
- Where will you be in a month if you continue on your current path?
- How did you live your values today?
#4. Consider possibilities, not simply problems.
Getting lost in problems is a deadly seduction of leadership. Yes, leaders help solve problems. But more importantly, leaders explore possibilities.
- If you weren’t solving this problem, what opportunity would you seize?
- If you didn’t have these problems to solve, what would you do?
- What might a new CEO do to move your organization forward?
#5. Generate positive energy.
- What would you like to do about that?
- What do you really want?
- How can I help?
- What will be different if you succeed?
#6. Begin with “what”, “how”, or “who”.
Yes or no questions call for short responses. A “what” question invites a conversation.
Avoid questions that begin with:
- Wouldn’t you…?
- Are you…?
- Shouldn’t you…?
“What makes your job fulfilling?” is better than, “Do you like your job?”
“When are you most energized?” is better than, “Are you energized?”
Warning: “Why” questions may sound like accusations.
How might leaders craft powerful questions?
What would you like people to ask you?
#2 question 2 is a game changer! Wow. I love that! Two of my favorite questions to ask are, “What has failure taught you?” and “Who do you know that I should know”. The first is great for getting to see the mindset of highly successful people. The second is obviously incredible for networking.
Thank you, Dan!
Thanks Josh. I appreciate the questions you suggest. Both are really helpful.
BTW, I re-read the question you mentioned and found a typo! 🙂
Haha glad I could help 🙌🏾
“Who do you know that I should know” – great question grateful that you commented! I like to ask “Thinking of the people who inspire you, what is the common thread?”
So this stands out again but in a negative way: #4. Consider possibilities, not simply problems.
Getting lost in problems is a deadly seduction of leadership. Yes, leaders help solve problems. But more importantly, leaders explore possibilities.
If you weren’t solving this problem, what opportunity would you seize?
If you didn’t have these problems to solve, what would you do?
What might a new CEO do to move your organization forward?”
When all we do is look at what life (including work) gives us as “problems” we go into the battle from a negative perspective. Better to look at solutions to challenges, solving challenges presented to us as we move along this life. Challenges and how one attacks them leads to opportunities even if one might technical fail in said challenges. I set out on challenges (not problems) toward a certain direction, do I always get to that perceived direction (no). But you know what when I perceive the challenge in a positive way I do make progress and relationships follow along the way. I had a challenge the other day for a customer I’ve just started doing business with. He needed a certain product to fix a challenge that had caused an outage at a Solar Farm he was operating in PA. I found his solution with another company and said try these folks out they can help you, no use in my getting in the way. He said you’d do that for me? I said yes, I want your long term business and if in this short term its best to shunt you to someone else, that’s the right thing to do. Did I get the order that I could have driven thru another company for him, no, did I get some kudos on building a longer term relationship, yes. And that is what it really is about in the challenges presented to all of us, do the right thing, be polite, be honest and help someone out. Take that pathway and it will all come back in droves to you.
I always liked the question that Stuart Hornery (retired chairman Lend Lease Corp,) asked.
“Every project we take starts with a question: How can we do what’s never been done before?”
I also like to ask–How does the customer define excellence?
Paul:
I like that approach, these days and for many before I’ve always been known (and I actively seek it and revel in it) as the one who takes the road less traveled to a solution. If the normal road is to the left, I take the right and attempt to define a pathway “never been done before”. Too many are ok just taking the same old road, branch out be bold as you move along that pathway to “never been done before”. Good to see others taking the same approach.
Roger:
Same old–same old stuff is BLAH.
Bold, fresh, new ideas are exciting. The road less traveled–or the road never traveled on before can be a bit scary but full of new learning and new accomplishments.
I also think it’s is important just focus on 1 or 2 big opportunities.
Asking questions facilitate the exploration of faulty reasoning: (1) for creative suggestions, they provide the “what if” and “what about” discussion that enriches understanding and subsequent prototype selection; and (2) for continue-what-we-have-always-done suggestions, they provide discussion of what’s unique about current application that raise alarms about repeated use.
Great post! Questions are energizing and bring about a higher level of thinking to situations.
and BTW – I LOVE the Heilen’ Coo! 🙂 I have a shot very similar from my Scotland travels this summer.
When working with young high school students in History courses, I introduce the approach of “Historical Inquiry,” essentially the work of historians. Historians begin their work with a “How” or “Why” question; this step directs them into depth and nuance of investigations. After conducting research, they can formulate an argument/thesis/claim in response the initial question. How/Why questions are paramount for complex investigation and inquiry.
Dan, what a great, eloquent primer to coaching others and my personal mantra, “Never tell anyone something I could ask them instead.”
I’ve been asked many times by clients (leaders), colleagues in our profession (coaches, consultants and trainers), and sales professionals, too: What are the right questions? I find that, for many, asking any question is hard because they like to be, and got to where they are now by being, problem-solvers.
My response is something like, “if you listen actively, just ask the right (open-ended) question, at the right time, for the right reason, that might help the other person move along toward right action (for them).” You offer a nice alternative in this brief primer.
I probably won’t cease and desist with that answer, but I share your article more often, too.
P.S. for leaders who want to develop this skill, I recommend Michael Bungay-Stanier’s “The Coaching Habit”.
Great post! All are great questions, typically of a type asked in coaching situations which I advocate leaders should be a lot of the time with their teams. Most team members have interesting and valid points of view and actionable intelligence that a leader should hear and potentially use. I say potentially use for situations where say a culture shift is taking place or where long term team members may be invested in the status quo, however learning what and why was done before is always useful. Leaders should know what is currently taking place and if/how it works before wholesale changing things IMO.
I ask what customers actually feel and think about xyz, ask team members to put themselves in their shoes and think of the issues from their point of view. We work in financial services where the jargon that we work with can be inexplicable to the lay person so what we may think of as “simple” just isn’t to the general public.
Another question “If you had free reign to sort this out, what would you do and why?”. Or “if you did know how to solve this, where would you start?”.
And then shut up! Silence is a good choice to allow people time to think. Smile softly & encouragingly & give people the space to really think. They know the answers most of the time or they wouldn’t be on your team right??