In our work with leaders, we often share an image of a dense jungle with two speech bubbles rising up from it. One speech bubble says ‘Hold on folks, we are in the wrong jungle!’ and the other says ‘Shut up! We are making progress!’
How many times has this happened to us where we go full throttle after a solution, only to discover that we had not defined the problem, or asked the right question in the first place!
Wise, carefully thought-out questions are worth their weight in gold. The practice of reflecting on them and exploring what might come up can elevate us to the next level as humans and as leaders.
Spending time defining our problems correctly, from all stakeholder angles, can be the difference between attaining meaningful success or working hard at ‘progressing in the wrong jungle’.
As leaders, asking the carefully crafted questions of ourselves and of our people, is critical to our organisations being fit for the purpose we are set up for and the world we find ourselves operating in.
To quote Naguib Mahfouz, ‘You can tell whether a man is clever by his answers. You can tell whether a man is wise by his questions.’
Here are some of my favourite questions that have helped elevate my thinking, and the thinking of leaders I have worked with.
🔶 From the poet, Mary Oliver – ‘Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?’
🔶 From Peter Block in his book ‘The Answer to How is Yes’ – ‘What is the question, that if you had the answer, would set you free?’
🔶 The most beautiful, simple question that Michael Bungay-Stanier brings to us in his book, ‘The Coaching Habit’ – ‘AWE – And What Else?’
🔶 Marshall Goldmsith shared this effective take on how we review our progress a few years ago at The Pendulum Summit. Instead of asking yourself ‘Did I achieve X today?’, ask yourself ‘Did I do my best to achieve X today?’ You will find it will evoke much richer, more honest answers.
🔶 If we follow Peter Hawkins’ wisdom, as leaders we can create meaningful difference by asking our teams ‘How are we creating value for our stakeholders?’ rather than ‘Are we achieving our KPIs?’
🔶 To access the wisdom of our team members, simply ask them ‘What do you think?’ and then listen attentively to the answer.
What are some of your favourite and most powerful questions?
If you want to explore the practice of leading with powerful questions, we would love to chat with you. Contact us at info@mojoforleaders.com
Miriam is a skilled coach and facilitator with over 30 years’ experience in business. Her passion is to help create more successful, sustainable and happier organisations. Her belief is that the path to doing this is through powerful, effective leadership. Miriam focuses on helping leaders develop their self-awareness, cultivate better relationships with their people and learn effective leadership behaviours and practices.
