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266 PART 4: THE LEADER AS A RELATIONSHIP BUILDER
Asking Questions
Managers typically think they should be the people with the right answers. After
all, aren’t people rewarded from grade school through college and in their fi rst
jobs for having answers? Leadership, though, is more about being the person
with the right questions. Questions encourage people to think and empower
them to fi nd answers. Many leaders—indeed, most people in general—are un-
aware of the amazing power of questions. In our society, we’re conditioned to
come up with answers. Very young children are typically full of questions, but
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from an early age they’re discouraged from asking them. Children may be told
that questioning adults is rude or disrepectful. Students are expected to hold up
their hands in class to give the right answer, and they’re often chastised for an
incorrect response. Leaders often assume that if someone comes to them with
a problem, their job is to solve it with the correct answer. They mistakenly fear
that not having an answer means followers will lose respect for them. When lead-
ers do ask questions, they typically focus on specifi c issues or problems, such as
why a project is behind schedule or when a report will be fi nished. They don’t
use questioning as a way to develop new insights into work processes or to spur
critical thinking by others.

Asking the right kinds of questions can benefit both leaders and followers
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in many ways. Questioning leads to a free fl ow of ideas and information that
is so important in today’s changing organizations. With advances in technology
and communications, no one person can master all the data and information
needed to meet the challenges most organizations face. In addition, asking ques-
tions shows that leaders value the knowledge of others and are open to new ideas,
which helps to build trusting, respectful relationships. Leadership questioning
serves as a role model to let followers know that asking questions is not a sign
of weakness but an opportunity for learning. Asking the right questions can also
develop critical thinking skills. One study found that 99 percent of top managers
surveyed believe that critical thinking skills at all levels are crucial to the success
of their organizations. As the best teachers have long known, using the Socratic
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method—asking questions rather than giving answers—provokes critical thought
and leads to deeper, more lasting learning. The late management scholar Peter
Drucker, who prided himself on asking “dumb questions,” once said: “The leader
of the past was a person who knew how to tell. The leader of the future will be a
person who knows how to ask.” Good leaders are willing to be vulnerable, and
they have the courage to ask questions that others might not want to hear. 21
What are the important questions for leaders to ask? There are two basic
approaches to leader questioning. The traditional purpose of questioning is leader-
centered, in that it seeks to inform the leader about specific issues, investigate

problems or opportunities, and gather information, ideas, or insights. This type of
questioning is important because it helps leaders tap into the expertise and ideas
of followers. Yet leaders also use questions for another purpose. This approach is
follower-centered, in that it seeks to encourage critical thinking, expand people’s
awareness, and stimulate learning. This type of questioning empowers followers
and helps to build positive attitudes and follower self-confidence, as well.

Listening
Just as important as asking questions is sincerely listening to the answers. One of
the most important tools in a leader’s communication tool kit is listening, both
to followers and customers. Many leaders now believe that important informa-
tion flows from the bottom up, not top down, and that a crucial component of

leadership is to listen effectively. It is only by listening that leaders can identify
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