What do 2-year-olds and CEOs have in common? They should be asking lots of questions.
According to Peter Senge, asking good questions is one of the most effective ways to open our mind, be more present and learn from others.
When we ask good questions, we take an important first step to explore the uncertain.
The start of a new year—especially the start of a new decade and a tumultuous 2009—is an opportune time to consider the questions you and your leaders are asking.
From a leadership communications perspective, start asking questions about these three key categories: purpose, people and process.
Purpose Questions
- What’s our reason for being and are we still true to it? (As the Wall Street Journalist columnist Peggy Noonan wrote in Look Ahead with Stoicism—and Optimism, many institutions seemed to have forgotten their mission the last decade.)
- What’s the organization’s focus? In other words, how well do your 2010 plans and goals sync up with your mission?
- How well can your stakeholders articulate your mission? Do they know the organization’s priorities and their own? Do they need support from you?
People Questions
- How well are you and the leaders listening to your stakeholders? What insights are you gathering from customers, employees, partners, vendors and others?
- How well are the leaders connecting with employees and inspiring them? Do employees know what you expect of them? To what extent are they taking responsibility for what needs to be done, rather than sitting back and waiting on having the right authority? To what degree are employees anticipating customer needs?
- From the perspective of someone who’s helping leaders with their communication, where’s the leverage? How have you divvied up responsibilities? What are you delegating to each other? What’s the most efficient? What’s the most effective?
Process Questions
- What can you stop doing this year to save time and resources? You either want to stop it because it’s not effective; it’s wasteful or no longer valued. For example, are there standing meetings that have outlived their usefulness? Reports? Questions on surveys?
- What could be working better? Do you need to tweak ways you’re working? Are you using the measurement data you’re gathering to fine-tune your communication channels, messages and meetings? And when did you last consider whether you’re easy to work with or not? (For some ideas, read the article “Are you easy?” in the January issue of THE LEAN COMMUNICATOR™.)
- What do you need to start doing? Do you need to listen to more voices? Involve people more? Measure more relevant issues? Experiment more with social media?
These simple questions can start some very involved and thorny discussions. They also may expose some vulnerabilities in processes, people and purpose.
In fact, Senge says the mere act of asking difficult questions can show a sense of vulnerability, which is why leaders (but not 2-year-olds) are often reluctant to ask challenging questions that will ignite demanding conversations. Yet, these conversations are necessary to make sure you’re on the right track for 2010 and the rest of the teens.
Liz Guthridge is a consultant, author, and trainer specializing in strategic change communications. Department leaders of Fortune 1000 companies hire Liz and her firm Connect Consulting Group LLC when they need their people—who are confused, angry or in denial—to adopt complex new initiatives so they can quickly change the way they work. For more information, contact Liz, liz.guthridge@connectconsultinggroup.com or 510-527-1213. Follow Liz on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/lizguthridge.
