Leaders Ask Questions That Help Teammates – And Themselves – Reflect

When we are young leaders, we are frequently so convinced of our being right that we do not bother to check in with our teammates. We make statements about our strategy, our decisions, our techniques, and our goals. We rarely pause to ask questions.

As we grow, fortunately, we learned that perhaps the best way to become more effective leaders is to ask important questions of the people we lead. We stop assuming that we know what people think or that we know what’s best for the organization. We check our egos at the door and check in with our teammates to assess their opinions and preferences. On a regular basis, we check in with them simply to see how they’re doing.

This past week I read an interesting article by Alaina Love, the CEO of Purpose Linked Consulting. She proposed that leaders who want to understand their impact on their teams and the people who comprise them can ask questions which fall into three experiences critical for creating fulfilling workplace relationships:

-A feeling of safety within the relationship -Feeling appreciated for your contributions -Experiencing personal and professional growth through workplace relationships

These are the questions Alaina suggested we leaders ask our teammates:

Safety
-Do you feel seen by me?
-Do you feel heard?
-Do you feel respected?

Appreciation
-Do I make you feel that your opinion carry weight?
-Do I acknowledge your contributions openly and often?

Growth
-Do you feel like you are growing in this role?
-Have you discovered you are a one-trick genius, and what can I do to support you in doing so?
-Are we capitalizing on your genius in your current role?

As Love reminds us, examining these relationship questions and applying what we learn to how we lead our teams can open the door to creating meaningful and thriving work environments.

Are you ready to start asking these kinds of questions?

Are you ready to accept the answers?

Are you ready to learn from them?