As a Leader, Are You Asking Enough Questions?

We’ve likely all heard the phrase, “There are no dumb questions,” in various settings in an attempt to encourage people to speak up and ask questions. While this may be a well-intentioned notion, the reality is that not enough people are asking questions. According to Fast Company, 49% of employees say they are not regularly asked for ideas. It’s not enough to assume that employees will approach leadership with their ideas or questions. Thus, it’s up to leaders to focus on asking more (and better) questions to build alignment and build meaningful relationships within their teams.

Why Questions Matter

Asking questions isn’t always just about finding the “right” answer. In fact, asking the right questions is an essential skill for a leader to hone through training, practice, and application. Still, many leaders leave it up to their employees to pose the questions.

When a panel of entrepreneurs was asked what they wished their employees talked about, one responded: “I wish my employees would talk to me more about questions or ideas they have. We have an open-door policy, so I wish more employees would stop by and be candid, direct, and assertive with me about what they’re thinking. I think they don’t because they’ve been taught you should just conform and do what you’re told. They might have it ingrained in their head to not ask questions or speak up.”

As a good leader, questions should not only be used to seek out an answer but to encourage creative thinking, problem-solving, and communication. Let’s start by defining the primary types of questions and how you can leverage them to pose better questions to your team.

All Questions are Not Equal

For leaders looking to hone their questioning skills, the most logical starting point is to know the different types of questions. There are four main categories of questions:

1. Factual: Questions with straightforward answers based on facts or awareness but may require an explanation. Factual questions can be either closed or open-ended.
2. Convergent: Close-ended questions with a finite set of answers, but most typically one correct answer. The most basic convergent question can be answered with a “yes” or “no.”
3. Divergent: Open-ended questions that encourage many answers or analysis of a situation, problem, or complexity in greater detail and then predict different outcomes. Frequently the goal is to stimulate creative thought or to expand the conversation.
4. Evaluative: Questions can be open or closed. To encourage a deeper level of thinking, evaluative questions elicit analysis at multiple levels and from different perspectives to arrive at newly synthesized information or conclusions.

While closed-answer questions are useful in some scenarios, they don’t encourage creative thinking or communication.

How to Ask Better Questions

With a leader skilled in asking the right questions, teams are stronger and more inquisitive. Asking questions is a trust-builder for leaders and teams, strengthening relationships and enhancing employee development. For many leaders, the art of asking questions is not an innate skill, so it requires practice to perfect. Here are three relatively simple steps to start asking your team better questions:

1. Ask open-ended questions. Without a prescribed “correct” answer, open-ended questions convey that a leader is receptive to new ideas and ready to start a dialogue. These questions can also help team members feel more giving a response without the pressure of needing to give the “right” answer. Instead, leaders can use these questions to help teams think of things from a new perspective, remove biases, and encourage them to explore ideas further. Examples include “Have you considered..?” or “What surprised you?” These questions can also create an inviting space for constructive discussions.
2. Practice listening effectively. When engaged in a conversation, the best approach leaders can take is effective listening. Leveraging both passive and active listening strategies, effective listening can help create an environment of trust. Through passive listening, the speaker may be motivated to fill in the silence with additional information and may perceive that the listener is fully engaged and listening to everything being said. When it’s time for a response, make sure that it is thoughtful, logical, and informed.
3. Ask many questions. An effective approach when responding to a question’s answer is to ask a stream of questions that can remove ambiguity, uncover opportunities, and more. Asking varying questions in response can help sustain engagement and deepen creative thinking.

Following these techniques, leaders can transform their teams into valuable sources of ideas and innovation by asking the right questions. Asking questions enables a team to look at a problem from all angles to identify the best solution while strengthening bonds of collaboration and communication. As a result, teams are more cohesive and can come together to solve challenging problems.

Are your leaders struggling to nurture their teams? Contact Connect the Dots Consulting and we can help guide your leaders to ask the right questions that create successful teams.