High Performance Leadership

Every unasked question leaves room for erroneous assumptions. Ask the question. -- doug smith 

We are sometimes only one question away from absolute clarity. What question do you need today? -- Doug Smith

Are you asking the right questions? One of my mentors, Lester T. Shapiro, told me that the primary role of leaders is to ask relevant questions. I heard that over twenty years ago, and it is as true today as it was then. Leaders ask questions. Questions to challenge. "What was the best thing about the performance? "What could we have done to make the performance better?" "What will you do differently next time?" Questions to probe. "What stands in your way?" "When will you achieve that goal?" "When will you know when you will know?" "What would make this goal even more noble, more ambitious?" Questions to motivate. "When have you overcome something like this before?" "Who do you know who has done something similar?" "What makes you feel good about this goal?" "Who will you help the most by achieving this goal? Questions. The secret to leadership success is ask...

I'm on the road, facilitating a workshop on controlling chaos, sitting in my hotel room and of course, learning. Watching videos on leadership. What else would a leadership trainer do on the road? I started with a famous leader speaking and somehow wandered into this video by Drew Dudley. Honestly, I hadn't heard of Drew Dudley, but you should. He's inspiring. His ideas spark energy. I believe he does his best to live his values, and I love how he builds in the human element into his goals. In the video he talks about values, about questions to ask in order to more earnestly live your values, and about making a positive difference, especially for people who so often go unrecognized and unappreciated. Here's the video. Yes, I know it's 17 minutes long - but go for it. Invest 17 minutes in this and you'll find a story you'll likely repeat and some insights you'll want to start using. I know I will. Three Values Steps: Six Questions: ...

Questions are powerful. I've been lucky to work with two powerful mentors. Each helped me to realize and utilize the importance of questions. Lester T. Shapiro told me, "The principle role of a leader is to ask relevant questions." Relevant questions get to the heart of things. Relevant questions get to the motivations, needs, and causes of things. Ask relevant questions. Another great mentor, Andrew Oxley, told me "If you don't like the answer to a question, ask a better question." Powerful stuff. And here's the thing: there are always better questions. We need never be the victim of someone else's poor communication skills again. Simply ask better questions. It's up to us as leaders to keep the inquiry going long enough to complete a satisfactory dialogue. It can be hard work. The work is worth it. Part of those questions includes the most demanding question of all, the deepest question of all, the question most likely to trigger def...

Do you ever answer the wrong question? I do that sometimes. Instead of keeping my focus on the goal, or the mission, I can become fixed on what I just want at that moment in time. When that happens, I ask the wrong questions, such as "how can I make myself happy right now?" and "why am I so confused?" The right questions focus on the big picture. The right questions focus on goals, visions, and values. Answering the wrong question will likely slow you down. Here's are questions that help me -- What's my goal? Does this goal match my values? My vision? Is this the best use of my time right now? Will this even matter a year from now? What questions work best for you?  -- Doug Smith

Does it ever seem like your people have an inexhaustible supply of questions? That's probably because they do. How do I do this? Why are we doing this? Can I have my birthday off? Why did Donna get a promotion? Is our business going to lay people off? Questions! While it is not completely your job to answer every question -- your people are looking to you for guidance. When you can provide that by allowing them to discover their own answers to questions, they will grow. Sometimes, though, they simply can't get the answers or would be in danger of making answers up unless you help them. So help them. Every answer raises two more questions.  Or as I like to think of it, two more opportunities to lead. -- Douglas Brent Smith Would you like the supervisors in your organization to get better at answering the tough questions? Consider bringing our workshop Supervising for Success to your location. It's surprisingly affordable -- especially in the Rocky Mountain front...

The toughest words from a high performance leader usually come in the form of questions. What are you working on? What are your goals for this year? Where are you on your goals? What happened to your deadline? These and other questions probe to discover what's going on -- one of the kindest and yet toughest questions of all from a leader or counselor or friend: "What's going on?" Talking tough situations takes patience and compassion. It also takes courage, persistence, creativity, and clarity. What are you trying to accomplish? How will you know when you've succeeded? What questions will elicit totally open and honest answers, even if the answers are tough to say and tougher to hear. As a high performance leader, what questions must you ask today? -- Douglas Brent Smith http://frontrangeleadership.com