I coach leaders to become skilled in the practices of good leadership and communication, dramatically influencing profit, production and pride in their organizations. Sometimes I ask dumb questions.
My math teacher in my senior year never smiled and was feared by everyone. I was terrified of making mistakes because he would look over our shoulders at our work and, if he saw one, would say, “You better erase that before someone takes you seriously.” Looking dumb or asking dumb questions was our biggest fear in his class.
In life we learn a lot and usually want to display our worth through showing what we know and understand. Asking questions about something we already know or about something our manager or employee should know seems like a dumb thing to do.
Let me challenge that. Asking the simple questions can reveal several things like:
- Does the person understand their role?
- Has the person internalized their responsibility for the task?
- Does the person have the same sense of importance or urgency about the task as you do?
If you shy away from asking dumb questions let me help you see the skill and value of asking simple questions that lead you to understanding what motivates and engages your staff.
Asking simple questions is a leadership skill that can dramatically influence ownership, accountability and engagement. Contact me to discuss how you can use this skill to develop your team members.