What strong leaders do……
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Djokovic is a leader that practice asking ‘ Big Questions’ at team meetings
Have you realised that cutting edge leaders are not those who have all the answers but actually those who know what questions to ask? They have a good sense of the environment they operate in and know what to ask.
Ask Inspiring questions
Strong leaders know how to ask inspiring questions so that team members feel that help is wanted. I have noticed that cutting edge leaders are not scared to show their vulnerability and nervousness. The logic being that research reveal that expressing this vulnerability and wanting help is a strong signal of a good leader. If one does a deep dive, it builds trust and this leads to relationships which are in turn very trusting. Many forget that asking proper questions tend to help you connect with those around you. A bond is built. The magic starts.
Ask Big Questions
Don’t ask questions like how can you achieve a target of 15% increase in productivity. This leads people to feel that they have been put against a wall. A better question can be “ have we missed something that can achieve a 15% increase in productivity”. We call them ‘ big questions’ meaning the person who takes the answer feel big as he is suggesting the actions that others are also fighting to achieve the Share of voice. Some of the other probable questions that are termed big are:
- Can we think of a game-changing idea that we have not looked before?
- Is there a consumer requirement that we are not meeting?
- How can we engage a third party to drive business harder?
- Will a supply chain that is more flexible help us meet customer requirements quicker?
- How could we harness Artificial Intelligence ( AI) to sharper brand mapping?
In other words take the discussions to look bigger opportunities rather than on the existing activities.
Involve Others
Another technique that is been practiced by strong leaders are questions that invite collaboration. Try to reach out beyond the institution to connect with expertise and perspectives from a broader set of people in the company. This must include people who are outside the meeting. This brings about a stronger sense of involvement.
This also gets people to talk about you outside the meeting room. Hence the circle of influence increase without people’s knowledge. Try this technique and you will see of the equity increase.
Learning Culture
Move away from a corrosive culture of ‘ blame game culture’. It is easy to practice this kind of a culture as jobs are hard to get. But if you move the culture to a “performance of fear’, then sustainability becomes an issue.
Try to infuse a culture of learning, which is critical, since the institutions that will thrive in the future are those that encourage everyone to learn faster and more rapidly. This approach will encourage people to make small moves initially that can quickly help the organis ation move forward.
Wayforward
Given the pandemic environment we live in, old theories are fading away. We have to look out for answers outside conventional practices. This can be achieved only by asking the right questions…