Can you sharpen your “Leading with Questions” skills by reading this blog?

Can you sharpen your “Leading with Questions” skills by reading this blog? 

Can you sharpen your “Leading with Questions” skills by reading books?

Can you sharpen your “Leading with Questions” skills by collecting good questions?

Can you sharpen your “Leading with Questions” skills by watching great leaders who skillfully lead with questions?

Let me ask you another question:  Can you learn to swim by reading a blog on swimming?

Can you learn to swim by reading a book on swimming?

Can you learn to swim by watching videos of all of Michael Phelps Olympic Gold Medal Swims?

If you want to learn to swim, what do you have to do?

You are 100% right–You have to get wet!  You have to jump in the pool.

So what’s my point?

You are 100% right–If you want to sharpen your “Leading with Questions” Skills you have to start asking more questions!  Can reading this blog, collecting great questions and studying others who effectively lead with questions be helpful?  Absolutely!  But to actually sharpen your “Leading with Questions” skills you have to start asking more questions!

So where on this scale are you now? (Current Reality)

Where on this scale do you want to be? (Goal)

So what’s your plan from moving from your “Current Reality” to your “Goal?”   What are 1-3 things you could commit to begin doing this week?  

If you don’t put your plan into writing what are the odds of sharpening your “Leading with Questions” skills? You are 100% correct–ZERO!

Now that you have a plan who are you going to ask to hold you accountable?  When are you going to ask them?  

If you don’t ask someone to hold you accountable what are the odds of your good intentions alone resulting in a measurable improvement in your “Leading with Questions” skills?  I am not sure of the exact % here but my observations of myself and many others reveal that the odds of my following through on any personal development plan if I do not ask someone to hold me accountable are about 5%.  But when I do ask someone to hold me accountable the odds of my following through move to about 95%!

So if you are serious about sharpening your “Leading with Questions” skills what are you going to do?  You are 100% right!  You are going to put your plan into writing–listing the 1-3 things you plan to do and you are going to ask someone to hold you accountable!

Would you like a couple of “low hanging fruit” ideas?

• Bet you have a “To Do” list!  How about starting a “To Ask” list?
• How about starting your next staff meeting with “What is going well?”
• How about purposing to ask your staff/peers, clients/customers, “What do you think about________?” followed by “What else?   Please tell me more?  What else?”
• How about responding to questions you’re asked with “Please tell me more?”  then, “What do you think?”

So what are the 1-3 things you are going to begin doing this week to sharpen your “Leading With Questions” skills?  Who are you going to ask to hold you accountable?  When are you going to ask them?

Congratulations!  You are on your way!
So what do you think of today’s blog?