How to lead with questions, not perfect answers

How to lead with questions, elend perfect answersHow to lead with questions, not perfect answersBureaucracies are built by and for people who busy themselves proving they are necessary, especially when they suspect they arent. - Ricardo SemlerLeaders are expected to be perfect (though they shouldnt be).Thats why, in many organizations, being right equals to having authority - certainty is rewarded, and questions are not allowed. The lack of a challenging mentality is an expensive mistake to make - companies end solving the wrong problem.Leadership models need to shift from owning knowledge to promoting a culture of curiosity.Managers are not meant to solve for everyones problems - people have the ability and responsibility to find their own solutions. Encourage people to ask questions. Hold back your impulses resist the temptation for (any) quick answer.Leading with questions is an invitation for everyone to think.The beauty lies in the questionHow people deal with questions says a lot about your organizational culture. As I observe helping kollektivs become mora innovative, the companies that resist change the most tend to ask very few questions.A mora autonomous workplace is challenging power-driven executives - they fear their expertise and authority can lose relevance. Thats why they dont encourage dissent - they protect their positions by owning the answers. However, providing wisdom is a more effective way of staying relevant - thats the power of questions.Wise leaders dont pretend to know it all - they are comfortable challenging their own assumptions. Wisdom, like leadership, is not defined by a title.We all want answers. However, wise people encourage us to find solutions on our own terms. They coach us to ask better questions - the beauty of problem-solving lies in the journey.Wise leaders challenge people to look beyond lazy solutions. Easy access to information promotes short-term curiosity. Most individuals seek easy answers, not true know ledge - 95% of people dont check past Googles page one results.Beautiful questions move us from our comfort zone to the discovery zone.A beautiful question is an ambitious yet actionable question that shifts the way we perceive or think about something, according to Warren Berger. The author of A Beautiful Question, coined that term to refer to a catalyst that can uncover change and possibilities.Berger focuses on questions that can be acted upon. Thats where the beauty lies - its not about creating a philosophical debate, but to provoke deep thinking to uncover practical solutions.Leaders must help their teams rediscover the beauty within questions - quick short-term fixes are anything but beautiful.How you can lead with questionsQuestions are the frames into which the answers fall. - Tina Seelig1. Challenge existing assumptionsPerfectionism is the enemy of change its impossible to improve something when we believe theres nothing wrong. Blind spots get us into trouble - what in dividuals or teams dont know they dont know causes the majority of corporate failures.If I leave the company, what would you like the new CEO to change.Many organizations dont encourage people to ask questions - challenging your boss, or the status quo is seen as disrespectful. However, not acting upon the issues can cause more harm than putting someones prestige at risk.Start by challenging your own assumptions. Embracing vulnerability rather than certainty is anything but weakness - its a clear proof of your commitment to continuous improvement.2. Reframe the real problemWe all jump way too fast into finding solutions. However, sometimes our creative juices can harm us - the rush to show how smart we are moves us into answering the wrong question.Why should you be stuck without a bed if Ive got an extra air mattress?Airbnbs $10 billion valuation all started with a Beautiful Question, as Berger explains in his book. Beautiful questions are not just about you they help realize ot her peoples problems.Brainstorming questions, not ideas, forces us to focus on better understanding the problem, rather than jumping into the solutions. Why does the problem exist? What does it say about our company? Is there a more significant problem behind it that we are missing?Brainstorming questions helps people dig deeper into a problem - solving the right challenge starts by challenging the problem itself.3. Create a culture of curiosityCuriosity is the mother of innovation. To unleash your teams creativity doesnt require complicated questions. Sometimes, simpler questions can find solutions behind the status quo - the devil is in the details.Why do we want kids to sit still in class?Curiosity is about challenging our daily reality - what others accept as normal, you turn it into a question. A report from the Institute of Medicine concluded that active children show greater attention, have faster cognitive processing speed and perform better.Turn asking questions into ong oing practice. A culture of curiosity also leverages the power of quiet people - introverts feel more comfortable asking questions that sharing their ideas out loud.4. Coach people to ask better questionsOur brain likes to ask lazy questions - we substitute questions with easier ones to save energy and time. As Nobel laureate and psychologist Daniel Kahneman explains When faced with a difficult question, we often answer an easier one instead, usually without noticing the substitution.How can we play better? versus Whats driving our success?Dont focus on the positive. People are less likely to lie when questioners make pessimistic assumptions versus optimistic ones, as different studies show.Avoid closed questions they force us to select between existing options. Suboptimal questions make us settle for lazy answers - sometimes the best solution is to unanswer the question, as I wrote here.Encourage your team to challenge the questions - dont settle for lazy problems.5. Use questi ons to encourage transparencyEvery individual in your organization is a sensor. The increasing complexity and speed of businesses require paying attention to every signal - when a problem makes it to the top, it might be too late to fix it.What is everyone thinking but no one is saying?A culture that encourages people to ask questions increases communication, collaboration, and transparency. It facilitates identifying and addressing tensions before they escalate and create more harm.Transparency removes the drama behind questions - rather than being defensive people enjoy the challenge. It creates an open-dialogue culture - people provide feedback via what if? rather than you should - - - For some people, questioning is a natural skill for most, it needs to be nurtured.Creating a culture of curiosity takes time. Most people are wired to impress others with their smarts rather than to challenge reality - they need to become comfortable with navigating uncertainty.The power of questions lies in unlocking value in organizations. It turns blindspots into bright spots, it fuels innovation and continuous improvement, it creates a culture of transparency and collaboration, it focuses our effort on solving the right problem and builds trust.Leading with questions is a beautiful and effective habit.Upgrade your teamDownloadmy ebook Stretch Your Team - how to thrive in a changing worldget your free copy.Receive my weekly Insights for ChangemakersSign Up Now.Thisarticlefirst appeared on Medium.