"Good leaders aren’t the ones with all the answers. They are the ones who ask the right questions." – Simon Sinek
What questions are you asking today?
This week? This season?
At the end of a recent leadership huddle, the facilitator asked: How would you rate this meeting on a scale of 1-10?
I answered last, following three "9" responses ...
"I'd give it a 6."
This wasn't simply to be contrarian. Rather a self reflection.
"Okay. Well now you have to share why."
We spent much of the meeting coming up with answers. Helpful, yes. However, I believe I missed an opportunity to pause and align us to the question we were trying to answer, or framed another way, what we were hoping to learn, first.
Asking the right questions can unlock better solutions, encourage deep thinking, and build stronger relationships.
Rather than offering quick answers, you ask thoughtful questions that foster discovery and insight. This practice of inquiry is not just a communication tactic; it's a leadership strategy that can transform the dynamics of a team.
The power of questions lies in your ability to challenge the status quo and provoke critical thinking. Effective questioning helps you illuminate possibilities that lie hidden, encourage continuous improvement, and engage team members in a more meaningful way.
Ultimately, asking questions creates a culture where curiosity is nurtured, and every question is an opportunity to explore new ideas and approaches. The Pixar Braintrust is a beautiful example of this in action, intentionally designed to "push towards excellence, and root out mediocrity."
This week, you'll explore this question: How can I use the power of questions better? In my work? My personal development.
Each resource this week is hand-picked to help you design and ask better questions. Let’s dive in!
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The Power of Questions
(video | words) – via Steve Aguirre
Much of an executive’s workday is spent asking others for information—requesting status updates from a team leader, for example, or questioning a counterpart in a tense negotiation. Yet unlike professionals such as litigators, journalists, and doctors, who are taught how to ask questions as an essential part of their training, few executives think of questioning as a skill that can be honed—or consider how their own answers to questions could make conversations more productive.
That’s a missed opportunity. Questioning is a uniquely powerful tool for unlocking value in organizations: It spurs learning and the exchange of ideas, it fuels innovation and performance improvement, it builds rapport and trust among team members. And it can mitigate business risk by uncovering unforeseen pitfalls and hazards.
What is a Beautiful Question?
(video | words) – via Warren Berger
The best businesses “run on questions”. Studies have shown that the most creative, successful business leaders have tended to be expert questioners. There are many examples of leaders who asked questions that led to breakthroughs.
Questions are spades that help to unearth buried truths. One good question can give rise to several layers of answers, can inspire decades-long searches for solutions, can generate whole new fields of inquiry, and can prompt changes in entrenched thinking. Answers, on the other hand, often end the process.
The industrial economy was all about knowing the answer and expressing confidence. If you did your homework, you were supposed to know. If you had unanswered questions, that meant you did a bad job and wouldn’t get rewarded. The problems faced by leaders today are very different. There is rarely “one right answer”. This is where questions help. They act like a flashlight illuminating possible options and guiding the way. Better questions lead to better results.
How to Ask Better Questions
(words | video) – via Amber L. Wright
"How was your day?"
"What was the best part of your day today?"
Similar, yet drastically different questions. Asking better questions isn’t simply another way to make small talk. Instead, it’s a path to creating real connection with the people around you, in a thoughtful and genuine way.
This talk by communication expert and certified life coach, Amber L. Wright, explores how to ask better questions and invest in one of life’s greatest currencies: relationships. Amber is a communication expert, certified life coach, and speaker who helps people find their voice during moments that matter. Well versed in the power of storytelling, she is known for helping leaders communicate effectively and live authentically.
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Strategic Advisor
Hey 👋 - I'm Noah!
founder of TOGETHER 4
I help impact leaders build better. Think of me as your growth partner – part strategic advisor and part leadership coach.
After spending 15+ years in-house designing growth plans and building teams, I’m now a consultant lending my experience and learnings to you, while building the community where impact leaders gather and grow.
I’ve led and advised growth at organizations such as Virtuous, Feathr, HubSpot, World Help, The Adventure Project, CauseVox, and many more.
Whether you’re on the frontlines fighting for change or building better tech and services to activate more – you’re an impact leader, and I’m here to help. Book your complimentary discovery session today.
