Leading with Questions, 3rd Edition

4Asking the Right Questions

It is important for leaders to fully recognize and understand the power of words. The words we choose to use are metaphors for concepts that define our attitudes and behaviors, structures and concepts. James Kouzes and Barry Posner note that “our words evoke images of what we hope to create and how we expect people to behave.”¹ The questions that a leader asks send messages about the focus of the organization. They are, indeed, indicators of what's of most concern to the leader. Our questions are an important measure of how serious we are about our espoused beliefs.

A key for leaders in asking questions is contextual: What do I want my question to accomplish? The questions we employ provide feedback about which values should be attended to and how much energy should be devoted to them. Thus, we should be reflecting on what questions we should be asking if we want people to focus on integrity or on trust. Other questions would demonstrate our concern with customer or client satisfaction, or quality, innovation, growth, or personal responsibility.

Questions can be very powerful in focusing attention. When leaders ask questions, they send constituents on mental journeys—quests—in search of answers. These journeys can be positive and productive, inspiring creative problem solving, new insights, and fresh perspective. Unfortunately, our questions can also send people on journeys that are negative and unproductive, provoking defensiveness and self‐doubt. ...