Ask good questions
Daniel Kahneman famously says, "What I see is all there is." He continues to add, "We think the world is much simpler than it is. We give very little weight to what we don't see."
We should focus on the things we don't see, things we don't hear.
How do we find out about those things? We ask questions.
Here are 8 questions I've jotted down recently that I hope to engage with and eventually answer:
How do we make our values actionable?
How do we incorporate more positive reinforcement?
How do we collect effective feedback from an orchestra?
How do we better articulate our mission?
How do we help people feel like they are valued and appreciated?
How do we help our employees feel more connected to our customers?
How do we help motivate musicians beyond traditional carrots and sticks?
How do we help the organization and its people navigate failure?
I've held these questions in my head for a while not knowing how to answer them. As leaders, we assume people come to us for answers and we need to have the most brilliant answers ready when they come knocking. If we don't, it may feel like we've failed them in a way.
But if "what I see is all there is," we are missing huge amounts of information that we don't see and hear. So we not only have to ask questions, but we have to ask our people for help with those questions.
This article called "Good Leadership Is About Asking Good Questions" advocates for developing the overlooked leadership skill of asking good questions.
The author writes, "...leaders should ask powerful and inspiring questions, convey that they don’t have the answers, and solicit others’ help to find them. The leaders I talk to tend to be nervous about this approach: Won’t it look like they don’t know what they’re doing? On the contrary, however, research has shown that expressing vulnerability and asking for help is a strong signal to others that you are trusting, and you’re more likely to be trusted in return."
So what kind of questions should we ask?
The article continues, "The kind of questions leaders need to ask are those that invite people to come together to explore major new opportunities that your organization hasn’t identified yet."
This article inspired me to rethink my 8 questions. It seems like my questions were all from the perspective of the leader being obligated to come up with the solutions, or leader-centric. What if I framed it as asking the people for their help, with the clear intent to hear and respect what they have to say, or people-centric?
Here are my revised questions, next to my original questions:
What about…
What would make you feel inspired to act upon our values?
What would help you know you are doing good work and encourage you to keep going? How can we better communicate what success looks like?
What questions would you like us to ask that will help you feel more heard? When else should we ask them?
What about our mission inspires you to do better work? Which part doesn't?
How can we better demonstrate to you that your work matters?
How can we better share with you the impact you have on our customers?
What drives you to do your work? What are your goals? How can we help you reach them?
How can we support you when we experience challenges and failures, individually and as a group?
Instead of…
How do we make our values actionable?
How do we incorporate more positive reinforcement?
How do we collect effective feedback from an orchestra?
How do we better articulate our mission?
How do we help people feel like they are valued and appreciated?
How do we help our employees feel more connected to our customers?
How do we help motivate musicians beyond traditional carrots and sticks?
How do we help the organization and its people navigate failure?
These revised questions sound quite different to me and frame the people as the center of attention.
In another article called "The Little Things That Make Employees Feel Appreciated," the authors discussed what was discovered simply by asking employees what they want and need:
"...many managers reported that communicating appreciation seemed really complicated… Employees, on the other hand, did not see this as a complex task and quickly and clearly articulated the precise ways managers could effectively express appreciation."
The people have answers! They know and see things that you don't know and see. We've got a wealth of knowledge, insight, and perspectives right next to us. Unleashing it will move us forward together.
Enroll your people to invest in and co-create the changes you want to see as a leader. We need to ask good questions. We'll get help and the people will feel appreciated. It's truly a win-win.
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