Leaders – are you asking the right questions?

Leaders – are you asking the right questions?

Adriaan Groenewald is an accomplished author and leadership advisor who has been interviewing and working with top leaders for more than 15 years. He is Co-Founder and CEO of the Leadership Platform. In a recent blog post, he states:

‘The questions we ask consciously and sub-consciously determine our attitudes and our momentum. Without asking questions we cannot grow and will stagnate. If we do not consciously develop the habit of asking positive questions, then we may automatically default to negative or self-absorbed sub-conscious questions.’

We think these are incredibly valuable words, especially within South Africa at the current time. This is not about papering over real challenges or ignoring them, but about asking the right, positive questions to help address them.

He advocates that leaders can focus on these questions in their quest for excellence.

• Attitude

‘How can I help move the situation in a positive direction?’

We can ask this of great and small situations, says Groenewald, and it is valuable because it keeps our focus on the positive. It also helps us to avoid being caught up in the sort of negative thinking that does not produce outcomes of real value.

• Relationship

‘How can I partner with you to help both of us move in a positive direction?’

Don’t get caught in pandering to short-term relationship needs. Some of our greatest successes come from investment in partnerships that are set up for longer-term reward and success. Are yours?

• Process

“What process should I use to help move the situation in a positive direction?’

There are two actions that make up a positive process, they are ‘evaluate’ and ‘do’. What should evaluate, and what should you do? Leadership is about moving forward in a positive direction, and these questions assist us to do that.

Without questions we will grow and stagnate. Indeed some argue that questioning is the leadership skill of the future. Take a few moments to examine the questions you ask yourself.

Are you asking the right questions?