Good Leadership Is About Asking Good Questions

If you’re in a leadership position, there’s a good chance you’ve had the following thought: “I’m the boss, dammit. I should fix this problem!” Now that’s a perfectly natural way to feel—and it might even be the right way to feel. But more often than not, as a leader, you’re probably better off stepping back and asking questions. Here are four reasons why.

1. Most people in leadership positions have a tendency to fix problems.

As a leader, you are often in a position to offer solutions. That’s because you’ve been tasked with solving problems, or at least figuring out how to get the job done. But this isn’t always the best approach—in fact, it can lead your team down the wrong path.

A better strategy is to ask questions instead of providing answers. By asking questions first and foremost, you’re able to gain crucial insight into what’s really happening on the ground level. And by identifying potential issues before they become full-blown crises, you’ll be able to work with your team members in developing strategies that will yield lasting results and keep things running smoothly until new ones come up!

2. It’s easy to forget that you’re there to serve your employees, not the other way around.

It’s easy to forget that you’re there to serve your employees, not the other way around. As a leader, you have a responsibility to help people grow and be their best.

The best leaders are those who ask good questions: What do you need? What would you like for me to do differently? How can I help? Instead of forcing solutions or answers on others, great leaders ask questions and listen closely for the answers that will help them find ways to improve their own performance as well as their team’s overall success.

3. Sometimes the best thing you as a leader can do is ask good questions and get out of the way.

You’ve probably heard the phrase, “Asking questions is a sign of intelligence.” That’s true. But it’s not just about being smart, it’s about learning and understanding the problem—and that requires empathy.

That said, there’s a difference between asking good questions and asking bad ones. Good questions are open-ended and focused on understanding what someone needs or wants (rather than proposing solutions). Bad questions are closed-ended and focused on finding out what you want to hear (instead of learning what they need).

When you ask good questions as a leader, it helps your team members feel like they’re being heard so they’ll keep listening to—and doing—what you say.

4. Yes, sometimes it might take longer to find a solution if you give people space to try things on their own.

It’s important to give your employees the space they need to make decisions on their own. They’re probably more familiar with their work than you are, so let them do it.

What if they make the wrong decision? Well, that’s why you have a CEO! You hire people who know what they’re doing and then trust them by giving them space and letting them do their job.

A great leader is someone who cares about other people more than him or herself. A great leader—whether it’s the CEO of a Fortune 500 company or a parent at home—is someone who has a positive impact on the people around them, and isn’t afraid to be vulnerable.

I’m always amazed by what happens when we ask ourselves questions like “How can I help?” and “What do I need right now?” It takes vulnerability, which means being honest with yourself and others. But when you do this as an individual, the power of it multiplies exponentially because you’re giving permission for everyone else to connect with their own selves in those same ways.

Asking questions is an important part of your leadership toolkit. It can be a challenge to ask good questions, but it’s also something that can be learned and improved over time. Asking questions is a skill, and like any other skill, you have to start from somewhere, but there are ways to improve your ability and make it easier for you in the future.

As we’ve seen, asking questions is a great way to be a better leader. But it’s not the only way. There are plenty of other ways to be a good leader, but it all starts by thinking about what you can do for others. And there’s no better place to start than with the people who work for you and alongside you—the people who are really the driving force behind your company or organization.

By viewing your employees and colleagues as partners instead of subordinates, you open yourself up to new possibilities for collaboration and innovation that wouldn’t have been available before. It might take some time to get used to this way of thinking, but in the end, it will benefit everyone involved!