Questions and Inquiry
This article is part of our Mentor-Coach Reading List series. Join the mailing list to receive this and more.
Curious and explorative questions make for better solutions and interesting conversation. Staying open to possibilities, intellectual curiosity and a ‘coach-not-tell’ style are key aspects of leading at the next level. Ask more, hold back on advice giving, use better questions and change the way you lead is what links these book choices.
SETTING THE SCENE
“From wonder into wonder, existence opens”.- Lao Tzu
“What we know is that the need to be heard turns out to be one of the most powerful motivating forces in human nature. People want to be heard. Studies are quite clear that we care most about people who listen to us. People crave two things above all else. They seek appreciation and they want someone to listen to them.” - Andrew Sobel and Jerold Panas
“Could it be … that questions are more important than answers? … After all, we have learned from history that people are united by questions. It is the answers that divide them.” - Eli Weisel
“A work of art does not answer questions. It provokes them, and its essential meaning is in the tensions between contradictory answers.” - Leonard Bernstein
‘The fine art of drawing someone out, of asking questions to which you do not already know the answer, of building a relationship based on curiosity and interest in the other person.” - Edgar Schein and Peter Schein
“Driven by the belief that a question is more than the simple thing we might think it is - that, in fact, it's a unique instrument that we can get better at using if we try. Wielded with purpose and care, a question can become a sophisticated and potent tool to expand minds, inspire new ideas, and give us surprising power at moments when we might not believe we have any.” - Leon Neyfakh
“The principle of charity suggests we should try to understand ideas before criticising them. Arguments should aim at finding the truth, not winning the fight. This means we should be charitable to people we’re in conversation with by trying to find as much sense in their thinking as we can.” - The Ethics Centre
“My greatest strength as a consultant is to be ignorant and ask a few questions.” - Peter Drucker
“Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood”® - Stephen Covey
Happy Reading and stay curious!
Here is more information about the Series 16 selection of books.
The Advice Trap: Be Humble, Stay Curious & Change the Way You Lead Forever (page two, May 2020) by Michael Bungay Stanier. “Say less, ask more -and change how you lead forever.” What could be better advice? This book will help you curb your urge to dole out advice. It shows you how to ask questions that drive impact, eliminate the negative and accentuate the positive. Michael Bungay Stanier shows you how to attain the highest level of engagement with his tools of employee interaction: transparency, lightness and deep appreciation.
What to Ask the Person in the Mirror: Critical Questions for Becoming a More Effective Leader and Reaching Your Potential (Harvard Business Review Press, July 2011) by Robert S. Kaplan. Presents a process for asking the big questions that will enable you to diagnose problems, change course if necessary, and advance your career. He lays out areas of inquiry, including questions such as: Do I clearly articulate my vision and top priorities to my employees and key constituencies? Does the way I spend my time enable me to achieve my top priorities? Do I give subordinates timely and direct feedback they can act on? Do I actively seek feedback myself? Have I developed a succession roadmap? Is my organization's design aligned with the achievement of its objectives? Is my leadership style still effective, and does it reflect who I truly am?
Ask More: The Power of Questions to Open Doors, Uncover Solutions, and Spark Change (HarperCollins, March 2019) by Emmy-award-winning journalist, Frank Sense. shows how questions convey interest, feed curiosity, and reveal answers that can change the course of both your professional and personal life. From questions that cement relationships, to those that help us plan for the future, each chapter in Ask More explores a different type of inquiry. By the end of the book, you'll know what to ask and when, what you should listen for, and what you can expect as the outcome.
Humble Inquiry: The Gentle Art of Asking Instead of Telling (Berrett-Koehler; 2 edition, May 2021) by Edgar Schein and Peter Schein. We live, say the Scheins, in a culture of "tell." All too often we tell others what we think they need to know or should do. But whether we are leading or following, what matters most is we get to the truth. We have to develop a commitment to sharing vital facts and identifying faulty assumptions - it can mean the difference between success and failure.The Scheins look at how Humble Inquiry differs from other kinds of inquiry, offer examples of it in action, and show how to overcome the barriers that keep us telling when we should be asking. This edition offers a deepening and broadening of this concept, seeing it as not just a way of posing questions but an entire attitude that includes better listening, better responding to what others are trying to tell us, and better revealing of ourselves.
The Book of Beautiful Questions: The Powerful Questions That Will Help You Decide: The Powerful Questions That Will Help You Decide, Create, Connect, and Lead (Bloomsbury USA; Illustrated edition, October 2019) by Warren Berger. When we're confronted with almost any demanding situation, the act of questioning can help guide us to smart decisions in the face of uncertainty. But the questions must be the right ones; the ones that cut to the heart of complexity or enable us to see an old problem in a fresh way. Drawing from the insights and expertise of psychologists, innovators, effective leaders, and some of the world's foremost creative thinkers, he presents the essential questions readers need to make the best choices when it truly counts, with a particular focus in four key areas- decision-making, creativity,leadership,and relationships.
Performance Conversations: How to Use Questions to Coach Employees, Improve Productivity, and Boost Confidence (Without Appraisals!) (Society for Human Resource Management, November 2020) There are three universal truths about traditional performance management. They are widely used, universally despised, and are known to be ineffective. These reasons are cited in the recent spate of announcements from dozens of major corporations who have abandoned their appraisal systems. As a result, many organizations are grappling with what to do instead. They have adopted many interesting and innovative practices, but most are a random collection of activities that are not bound together by a sound theoretical framework. This new approach is built upon a sound theoretical foundation, uses proven management techniques, and offers a novel framework and tool for managers for regulating and enhancing the performance of their staff. Dozens of ready-to-use templates and accompanying tools help make good management practice more accessible, practical, and effective. Just as important, the new approach is both millennial - and remote worker- friendly as it incorporates features that speak to how they work.
… AND HERE ARE A FEW RELEVANT ARTICLES TO EXPLORE
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