Learning how to ask open-ended questions is a powerful tool for unlocking value in organizations. It helps your team be self-reliant, spurs learning, fuels innovation, builds trust, and improves performance. And here is the good news: The more we ask questions, the deeper our emotional intelligence, which in turn makes us better questioners!
Open-ended questions cannot be answered with a ‘yes’ or ‘no.’ This makes them a strong tool to forward learning. Begin by practicing some of the questions below in your 1:1’s. Stay curious, really listen to the answers, and notice what supports each of your reports to build confidence and strengthen their problem-solving skills.
Performance, Growth, and Solutions
- To be successful, what do you need more of? Less of?
- How will you know when you’ve succeeded?
- What stops you from taking action?
- What are you doing that’s working?
- What will make the biggest difference here?
- What have you learned?
Recurring Issues
- What is the problem? Is it clearly defined?
- What step can you take that would make the biggest difference right now?
- What has worked in the past when solving problems like this?
- What will happen if you ignore the situation?
- Do you need to work harder or delegate this?
- What support do you need? How can I help you to succeed?
- What else? (This one is particularly powerful as a follow up to any of the above.)
Questions have a power that goes beyond matters of performance. “Question everything,” as Albert Einstein said, and remember that at the heart of all questions is wonder, curiosity, and a capacity for transformation.
Further Reading
Good Leaders Ask Great Questions – John C. Maxwell
The Art of Asking: Ask Better Questions, Get Better Answers – Terry Fadem
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— Melissa Carmichael, former Product Design Manager at SurveyMonkey
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— Xin Yang, Engineering Manager Fleet Firmware, Samsara
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— Alejandro Pacheco, UN Development Programme
