Become a Master Question Asker!

Posted on September 11, 2020 by Yasmina E Jimenez, One of Thousands of Business Coaches on Noomii.

A new master’s program that will allow executives and managers to boost their team’s performance!

How can you delegate without sounding bossy? How can you inspire creativity without imposing another team building lunch game? How can you empower your team to act without holding them by the hand?

Become a Master Question Asker! This new master’s is all the talk in the business community. It allows you to respect your employee’s differences all while strengthening your leadership. It allows you to establish an organizational climate more conducive to initiative, collaboration, and performance. Most importantly, it allows you to become a true leader!

To obtain this new master’s, simply learn and apply the following MQA techniques with your employees and colleagues:

Ask open-ended questions
Ask one question at the time while allowing space to think and listen
Keep questions short & simple
Avoid the confrontational ’’why’’
Use a curious, open-minded tone of voice
Leave dismissive or sarcastic responses in the garbage
Be authentic when having a conversation

One might also consider shifting one’s mindset to assure the MQA techniques are properly applied. This will require you to do the following:

Recognize that all questions will have an impact on your professional relationship and this, regardless of the response
Recognize that some situation might benefit and even require you to answer with a follow-up question, as to push your employee’s creativity, resourcefulness, and deeper reflection
Recognize that reducing your expectation regarding what you consider to be a ‘’good response’’, will only improve your understanding of one another and thus, improve overall work communication and strategic planning

Here are three examples to help you put these guidelines in context:

Rather than give directives, ask your team members what they want and what steps they believe will allow them to get there.
Rather than tell your employees what they need to improve: challenge them to think about their work and, to identify areas of improvement themselves as well as concrete actions to help them achieve those changes. Make sure you also ask them who can best support them within the organization in achieving those improvements.
Rather than impose new roles and tasks when promoting an employee: ask them to come up with a project as well as the roles or responsibilities that can make the best use of their talents and competencies. Make sure you find some middle ground between your needs, that of the company and that of your employee: this will make for increased motivation and performance!

The list of alternatives to the type of managing that we usually apply, is quite long. Essentially, to obtain your MQA, you need to learn how to ask powerful questions rather than impose or dictate dry directives or your point of view. MQA will not only propel you into the new era of business leadership, but as a bonus, it will also transform your personal relationships.

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