We’re often encouraged to “lead by example,” and that through your explanations of various tasks at hand or answers to conundrums, your team members will grow.
While good leaders may voice a solution when a problem rears its ugly head, great leaders ask their teams how to solve it. By framing a problem around appropriate questions, your team will discover the right answers on its own terms, rather than simply being told. This fosters ownership, autonomy, and feelings of success – all crucial ingredients toward a healthy and productive group.
Interestingly enough, the act of asking (as opposed to answering) questions is more difficult and requires a tremendous amount of logical, tactical thinking on your part. I’ve often said that while anyone can notice wrong answers, it takes the creative person to notice the wrong questions. By positioning a challenge in a way that your employees have a chance to figure it out on their own terms, you’ve gifted them the ability to truly absorb the information for next time. Days, months, or even years from now, those employees will then be able to recall events from this problem-solving experience as a pattern to repeat as needed.
In this way, it’s no different than the age-old parable that if you give a man a fish, he’ll eat for the day, but if you teach a man to fish, you’ve fed him for a lifetime. If it is the case for our basic survival mechanisms – that we must learn to do something on our own – it’s clearly applicable with our creativity, innovation, and problem-solving abilities. By involving your team members they’ll absorb the same skill-sets needed later in their careers, no different than fishing.
Josh Linkner is on a mission to help the world unleash its creative mojo. The five-time successful tech entrepreneur and CEO/Managing Partner of Detroit Venture Partners delivers a clear call to action — it’s better to disrupt your organization before your competition does. The riskiest move companies can make today is hugging the status quo — believing the future will be like the past is the fast road to obsolescence. You can connect with Josh at JoshLinkner.com or follow Josh’s blog at JoshLinkner.com/blog.
Which of your friends would thank you if you forwarded this post to them?
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Good Morning Bob, I like the new look! The white space positions the other components very well. Congratulations on the ongoing development of a great blog site! I continue to recommend it to other coaches.
I do have two questions on this particular post which I understand is a guest post. In the first question, isn’t everybody rather than everything? Second I don’t understand the seventh question, “What if weren’t going to behave”? What does Josh mean by that question?
Thanks and blessings for all that you do to bless others,
Thanks Joe for your encouragement!
Great Questions about the questions from today’s “Guest Post” author!
Great new format, Bob!
Adding this question to my lists for future use… “What is everything thinking, but nobody has the courage to say?” Powerful! Thanks!
Terry that is a great question – I am adding it to my list too! Sure appreciate you!
Wow Bob – you’ve done it again!
You took something that seemed just fine, your fabulous blog, and made it dramatically better. Way to go!
And the content in today’s post is spectacular. Josh has stimulated a whole new deluge of thoughts for me to ponder, practice and perfect. Thank you.
You constantly inspire me to lead at a higher level and I am forever grateful.
Kent
PS: I loved our time together at last week’s Executive School of Leadership. Can’t wait to hear the success stories ….
Kent this is “High Praise” coming from you! Thank you! It was great seeing you work with our Executive School of Leadership last week!
Bob,
I love the new format! I always like the questions you post.
Jeff
Thanks Jeff for the encouragement! What questions have you been asking this week?