“Leading with Questions” To: Growing Leaders Everywhere, What can you do to get your whole team involved in planning for the future, in solving problems and in seeing and seizing opportunities? How can you respond to every possible situation that you will ever find yourself in? Why did Jesus ask over 150 questions in the four Gospels? One of the Leadership Development skills we are helping our young leaders develop is the skill of “Leading with Questions.”
Instead of telling everyone on your team what to do, you can get everyone involved by asking them questions.
The one thing you can do in every possible situation you ever find yourself in is to respond with questions until you have found the answers to know what to do next.
You can study Jesus to learn how to “Lead with Questions.”
Here are 25 of my favorite “Leading with Questions” quotes: “If you ask profound questions...you get profound answers. If you ask shallow questions...you get shallow answers. If you ask no questions...you get no answers at all!” Bobb Biehl “Leaders who promote a questioning culture in their organizations move people from dependence to independence.” Ken Blanchard “An effective leader will ask questions instead of giving direct orders.” Dale Carnegie
“I never learn anything talking. I only learn things when I ask questions.” Lou Holtz “If leadership requires right answers all the time, then only few will qualify. If, however leadership requires challenging questions, we can all aspire to the title of leader.” Chris Clarke-Epstein “Asking lots of questions opens new doors to new ideas, which ultimately contributes to your competitive edge.” Michael Dell
“The Leader of the past may have been a person who knew how to tell, but certainly the leader of the future will be a person who knows how to ask.” Peter Drucker “Great results begin with great questions.” Joseph S. Edwards “Asking is better than telling.” Andrew Finlayson “Positive questioners keep ‘to ask’ lists, instead of just ‘to do’ lists.” Andrew Finlayson
“Statements generate resistance, whereas questions generate answers. Questions allow the other side to get their points across and let you understand them. Questions offer them no target to strike at, no position to attack. Questions do not criticize, they educate.” Roger Fisher “You do not have, because you do not ask.” James 4:2b “When you want to persuade, you’ll always get further by asking a question than by making a statement.” Dorothy Leeds “You can tell whether a man is clever by his answers. You can tell whether a man is wise by his questions.” Naguib Mahfouz "Ask and it will be given to you” Matthew 7:7a “Something remarkable happened to people when Jesus—the self-proclaimed answer—began asking questions.” Jedd Medefind and Erik Lokkesmoe
“Who do you say that I am?” Jesus Nobel Prize winning physicist Isidor Isaac Rabi’s mother used to greet him after school by asking, “Did you ask any good questions today, Isaac?” “If you want to make a statement, ask questions. If you want to convince, ask questions. If you want to honor your listeners, ask questions. If you want to change hearts and minds for the long haul, ask questions. And the better the questions, the more remarkable the result.” Jedd Medefind and Erik Lokkesmoe “The Value of Good Questions: It tells people you value them Engages them in self discovery – helps them process what they think and believe Helps people process and own their decisions It takes the pressure off you needing to have the “right answer” Increases teamwork, creates better buy in for change and improves
decision making and problem solving” Ned Mervich “All the answers we ever get are responses to questions.” Neil Postman “Four Consulting Questions: 1. What’s going well? 2. What’s not? 3. Where are you stuck? 4. What needs to change?” Barry Rush “Leadership Development is not as much about knowing the right answers as it is about knowing the right questions.” Bob Tiede “Asking more of the right questions reduces the need to have all the answers.” Donald Peterson “When you are an individual contributor, you try to have all the answers. When you are a leader, your job is to have all the questions.” Jack Welch
You can read even more great “Leading with Questions” Quotes by going to www.thetiedes.cccministry.org Then click on “Leadership Development Resources” and then on “Leading with Questions” Quotes. You may also want to take a peek at one or more of the seven “Leading with Questions” power point presentations that you will also find on our website. It is a joy to serve Him with You! Love in Christ,
Bob Tiede Bob Tiede P.S. If you have one or more favorite questions that you use in leading or perhaps observed another leader ask would you please send them to me? ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
“Identifying and Developing the Next Generation of Leaders for Campus Crusade for Christ.” 3412 Caleche Court Plano, TX 75023 bob.tiede@ccci.org 214-213-2179 www.thetiedes.cccministry.org