Why did I choose this book?
I wanted to learn more about how to effectively communicate and how could I achieve better results with asking better questions. This book also has a lot to do with our product which we develop in Team Academy. Whenever I asked a question I wasn't sure if I was asking it correctly and powerfully.
What are the main takeaways from this book?
GE’s former CEO Jack Welch says, leading successfully means „seeing the world the way it is, not the way we hope it will be or wish it to be.“
Those responsible for the sinking of the Titanic were all operating under a twisted picture of reality because they failed to ask questions.
We should not worry about asking dumb questions.
Sometimes we are afraid to ask questions because we think that the question is dumb but actually the dumbest questions can be very powerful. They can unlock a conversation.
If you are unsure how your question might be taken you might say, “I am not sure how to ask this question, but…?”
Looking ahead.
Powerful leaders do not have all answers, rather, powerful leaders make it a practice to ask questions.
Questioning culture in Team Academy?
In our dialogues we should ask a lot of questions and encourage others to ask questions. When we learn to ask questions and do so effectively our questions can change other Teampreneurs and we can learn more effectively. We should try to build “questioning culture” which is a culture where questions are welcomed, assumptions are confronted, and new ways to solve problems are explored.
When an organization has a questioning culture, the people in it:
- Are ready to admit “I do not know”
- Encourage questions
- Focus on empowering questions, not on disempowering questions
- Accept and reward risk taking
When we feel free to ask questions and are open to questions of others, it will increase our need to reflect and help us to be more self-aware.
John Morris observes that only trough constant questioning do we see more clearly just who we really are and what remarkable resources we have access to. We will also see more clearly what is really fascinating us, and we will become more capable of accepting and responding to change.
When we use questions we should be sharing not just facts but also responsibility. If you are a leader in a project rather than telling Teampreneurs what to do, you must have the courage to ask them what needs to be done and then make an effort to remove any obstacles in the way. This not only generates the best ideas but also give Teampreneurs in your team a stake in the success of an effort.
“If you want Teampreneurs to be there for the crash landing, you’d better invite them to the launch.”
If you want to check as a leader progress toward goals, you can inspire better work by asking Teampreneurs in your project series of nonthreatening questions, for example:
- Are you still on track to have our new logo design finished by Monday 12:00?
- Do you have all information that you need?
Empowering questions X Disempowering questions
Instead of asking disempowering questions – such as “Why are you behind schedule? What’s the problem with this task?”
We should ask empowering questions – such as “How do you feel about the project so far? Which of these objectives do you think will be easiest to accomplish? What kind of support do you need to ensure success?”
Questions with power to produce rich responses which we can use in our dialogues or in projects:
- What other options do you have?
- What is stopping us?
- What do we expect to happen if we do that?
GROW model
We already use this tool in the team academy and it is also mentioned in the book because it is based on questions.
What do I appreciate most about the book?
I learn lot of practical interesting question. I improved my knowledges especially in leadership. In the last chapter of the book there is chapter about action learning which I am very interested in. Some of the other books I will read will definitely be about action learning!