Micromanagers Tell. Leaders Ask.

Guest Post by Jo Miller

Want to be a leader, not a manager? (Or worse, a micromanager?)

Here’s a quick leadership litmus test: In any given situation, are you more likely to tell your team what to do, or do you start by asking questions?

While micromanagers focus on telling people what to do, the best leaders guide and empower their people by asking questions—questions that encourage the team to design, and decide on, their own course of action.

Here are 5 favorite Be Leaderly posts to help you lead by asking, not telling.

1. Get into a leaderly mind-set

Use this checklist to develop a curious nature, build trust, be fully present, and truly listen. Put yourself in the right frame of mind to lead with questions.

2. Ask yourself thought-provoking questions

Follow the example of four high-energy, engaging leaders, and ask these questions to keep yourself motivated, engaged, and focused on what’s best for your team.

3. Turn your statements into questions

Catch yourself making statements. Challenge yourself to replace those statements with questions that encourage the people you work with to think, learn, problem-solve, act, or create.

4. Become a better strategist

Make the transition from being reactive to thinking strategically, by asking these six questions. Do some deeply reflective thinking and gain a long-term view of your business.

5. Power up your mentoring sessions

Make the most of every conversation with your mentor with these four types of questions. And encourage your mentees to do the same.

As a leader, you don’t need to have all the answers! It’s better for you, your team, and the business when you ask questions.

Jo Miller

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

 

A leading authority on women’s leadership, Jo Miller is a sought-after, dynamic, and engaging speaker, delivering more than 70 speaking presentations annually to audiences of up to 1,200 women. Her expertise lies in helping women lead, climb, and thrive in their corporate careers. Jo has traveled widely in Europe, North America, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East to deliver keynotes and teach workshops for women’s leadership conferences, women’s professional associations, and Fortune 1000 corporate women’s initiatives. Jo is CEO of leadership development, consulting and research firm Be Leaderly. Learn more about her speaking engagements at www.JoMiller.net and follow @Jo_Miller on Twitter.

MORE RECENT POSTS

25 Winning Questions for Great Conversations Around Your Thanksgiving Table!

Happy Thanksgiving! Family and Friends are coming! Pumpkin Pies are baked! Turkey is ready to put in the...

The Power of a Good Question

Excerpted With Permission from Chapter 5 of “How To Talk About Jesus Without Looking Like an...

4 Tips to Effectively Ask for Help—and Get a Yes

Guest Post by Jeffrey Davis Originally posted at Psychology Today Social psychology shows people are eager to...

7 ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS EVERY LEADER SHOULD ASK

Guest Post by Kevin Herring Originally Posted @ Ascent Management Consulting How can leaders increase...

Ask 3 Simple Questions and Harvard Research Says You Will Be Significantly More Likable, Starting Today

Guest Post by Jeff Haden This works whether you’re trying to make a great first impression or deepen a...

Don’t Just Hear Your Customers, Listen To Them

Excerpted With Permission from the 3rd Chapter of “Win the RELATIONSHIP- not the DEAL” by Casey...

7 Questions to Balance Your Life

Guest Post by Marc Rasmussen Proverbs 18:21 says “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.”  The...

One thought on “Micromanagers Tell. Leaders Ask.

  1. Sherry Ann Weaver says:

    I am loving your site. There is much useful information to use rightaway.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.