Asking the Right Questions
Everyday you are responsible for solving problems and creating an environment that enhances your employee’s creativity and productivity. Your success depends on your ability to ask the ‘right’ or ‘effective’ questions.
What do you gain by asking the ‘right’ questions?
- Helps you to identify the real issue.
- Learn how to build the success of your business.
- Enhance your problem solving and communication skills.
- Motivate your strong performers to contribute even more.
- If you have employees who are not performing or their behavior is not supportive of the work environment, you want to find out how to best to support them.
- And….lots more
So…what are the ‘right’ questions?
The ‘art of questioning’ is aligned with your ability to listen. Listening to your reactions and to the reactions of your employees. You can’t ask the right question if you aren’t available for listening to the information that is available to you. It’s all about reframing the way you go about seeking information.
ASKING QUESTIONS ===> LISTENING ===> ASKING QUESTIONS
Combine this process with powerful questions and you will be successful in managing your employees and business.
You may have heard of ‘open-ended’ questions as a technique to gather information about a situation. This style of questioning opens the door of communication and increases your ability to learn more about the issue. To become more open you will need to minimize the ‘judger’ in your conversations and focus on the ‘learner’ in you.
Here is an easy read…packed with great examples on how to reframe your questions for better results. Change Your Questions, Change Your Life (7 powerful tools for life and work) by Marilee G. Adams, Ph.D. This book teaches all about ‘asking the right questions’ in the story form of a senior manager who was not effective in managing his staff. The book steps you through the 7 tools to go from ‘judger’ to ‘learner.’
Here are some examples of ‘right questions’ that you can ask your staff. Actually, you can use the same questions to unravel an issue that you have either professionally or personally:
- What seems to be the problem?
- What have you done so far to solve the issue?
- What else is bothering you?
- What do you mean by that? (don’t make assumptions you know what a person means by their statements…always ask for clarity)
- What is blocking you from completing the work?
- How do you want this situation to work out?
As you can see from the above sample questions, the art is in seeking more information from the employee or from yourself. Keep asking ‘what’ and ‘how’ until you are satisfied that you have gathered all of the information you need to move forward in a situation.
Asking the ‘right questions’ is a great brainstorming tool. Use this tool to ask yourself where you are now and where you want to go. Learning the skill of asking effective questions supports you professionally and personally.
Next topic
Recognition, Recognition, Recognition….
Ways to Motivate Your Employees!
PatOther Topics:
Are You A ‘People Friendly’ Manager?
Flexible Work Environment
There Is Too Much To Do
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21 Great Ways to Become an Outstanding Manager by Brian Tracy
With this valuable step-by-step program, you will learn how to:
• Lead your team to maximum results – so you can stand out above the rest
• Keep your team happy and motivated
• Maximize your natural leadership capabilities
• Build a team to take you to the top
• Make your profits soar
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