This one simple question can transform your leadership
I’ve always found it interesting that many of the skills and approaches that make people successful as individual contributors, are often the very things that cost them the most as leaders.
Strong contributors rely on their ability to do. They’re resourceful in the face of challenges and take personal initiative and action to solve problems in their roles. They’re subject matter experts who answer important questions, providing valuable insights that senior leaders should leverage when making big picture, strategic decisions that steer the organization forward towards their vision for success. They’re rewarded for these behaviours. Over, and over, and over, and over, and over.
For most of our lives we are conditioned and rewarded for having answers to questions. We build our worth and identities around the knowledge we acquire, and the questions we answer.
A strong contributor who steps into a leadership role requires a drastic change in their mindset and approach. They have completely changed vocations. They’re a scientist on Monday, and an Artist on Tuesday. What made them successful yesterday, are the very things that hold them back today. As Marshall Goldsmith coined ‘what got you here won’t get you there’.
Many are unconscious of the magnitude of the change, or they severely underestimate it. They exit the swim portion of the triathlon still in their wetsuit and attempt to front crawl their way through the bike race quickly to realize that something is REALLY not working. They spend their days feeling trapped in meetings while their anxiety grows at the very thought of everything they have to do with only slivers of time available in their calendars. When their team asks a question, they answer with speed and authority. When their team needs help, they jump in and contribute powerfully feeling a momentary romantic rendezvous with their past. When their team needs emotional support or help navigating relationships with others, they feel irritated. They think, ‘Why am I spending my time on this stuff when there’s work to be done’!
Unintentionally, they begin to create every negative outcome they hoped to avoid in leadership. The individuals in their care have not only stopped growing and developing but are becoming increasingly dependent on their leader. They feel disengaged, undervalued, and are quickly irritated by the smallest of things. Some begin to lose confidence; others lose hope in their future knowing that they’re not learning and progressing. The leader’s impact becomes finite when it could be exponential.
Great leaders are a resource for their people, they’re not the answer. They believe that although they can do the work themselves, they will never compound their impact and results without igniting potential in others. Most of what they DO moment to moment throughout the day carries the direct intention of enabling success in others. All their ‘doing’ is centered around, and directly serves their leadership. Simple right? The only problem is people are conditioned their entire lives to do the direct opposite.
So how can a leader begin to make the shift? For many, one simple question may hold the key. They key to changing longstanding conditioned behaviours is determining the correct moment to interrupt the old pattern. Typically, those moments are the exact moment when the old behaviour was triggered. What triggers a person to give an answer? A question! That’s your crucial moment. Rather than answering, directing, telling, or jumping into action when presented with a question, problem, or challenge from others, simply ask ‘what do you think’? Allow the questions and requests you receive to trigger your new habit.
The value this little question holds is quite incredible. It’s a micro dose of powerful leadership vitamins that open and encourage a host of powerful outcomes.
Positive outcomes for others:
It signals to others that you want and value their perspective.
It builds trust particularly when you share the intention of the question (to tap into their creativity, expertise, and intelligence).
It conditions others towards resourcefulness, empowerment, and confidence.
It sets a subconscious expectation for others to bring solutions and recommendations in addition to questions and problems allowing you to support, guide, and lead them rather than giving answers.
It engages others allowing them greater autonomy in their roles.
It creates an environment of learning and development.
Positive outcomes for you:
It creates space and time for you to focus more attention on leadership and strategy.
It helps you assess what the individuals you lead need most from you. Is it training they need? Is it confidence? Creativity? Permission from you?
It frees you from your full-time job of giving advice and answers!
It strengthens and develops those around you.
Leadership is a complex art form, a journey. Becoming a great leader involves successful leverage of many different competencies, approaches, and experiences. You never get it perfect, and the greatest leaders focus on progress and learning over perfection. Creating the habit of asking ‘What do you think’? before you unconsciously jump to answers, advice and direction won’t guarantee you success, but it will kick open the door.