Questions are good – right?
Leaders are told to ask questions. I teach my students and clients to ask questions of themselves and of their people.
So, questions are good, right?
Well … yes … and you have to ask the right questions.
Last week, my husband texted me from work to ask if I’d gone to the market yet. I answered, “No.”
He then asked if I could bring him the package that had just been delivered to our mailbox at home.
Oops. I was on my way to the market.
He asked the wrong question. It wasn’t a bad question, but it wasn’t the question that would achieve what he wanted: whether I was available to bring him the package from our mailbox.
A better question would have been: “Have you left for the market yet?”
When I teach students and clients to ask questions, I make the point that you need to know ahead of time what you’re trying to accomplish. Will the question you’re asking actually yield useful and complete information?
My husband’s question gave him useful information, but it wasn’t complete, so he didn’t have the full picture.
This is a fairly minor example, with no significant negative consequences. But think about some of the questions we ask when change is underway – or, really, in any serious situation. If we’re not careful to construct our questions with awareness of the overall context and the information we need to have in order to make good decisions and take appropriate action, we can end up making some unfortunate assumptions – and mistakes.
And if we ask good questions, get complete and useful answers, and then fail to take action?
That’s where trust goes “poof.” And once trust is lost, it takes a long, difficult time to regain.
The advice to ask questions is good. But it’s only half of what’s needed.
Ask questions that will yield useful, actionable answers. Construct your questions with care.
It’s easy to think you have useful, actionable answers, when in fact you have only a fraction of the information you need.
Oh, and for the record? I went back and got the package for my husband. 😊
It’s not always easy to think through what you want to accomplish with your questions.
It’s a skill you can develop, though
Curious? Drop me a note through the contact form.