I was listening to two managers in my workshop when he said it. They were doing a role-play exercise and focusing on coaching style questions but it was obvious to me now, this manager didn’t quite get it yet. I heard him ask, “Did you ask Jenna from Marketing to help with this?” The response was, “No, I…” and he was interrupted by “Why not?”

His line of questioning was going to put this person on the defensive, rather than open them up to exploring options. Coaching others can be much easier if you will focus on the types of questions you ask. Over the past 25 years I’ve observed a unique difference between how managers and leaders ask questions. If you listen for these two types of questions, it gets easier to use them more effectively.

How to Question like a Manager

Please understand that there is nothing wrong with questioning like a manager, as long as you don’t use this method all the time. If you do, you’ll create a group that remains dependent on the manager for far too much. I love the analogy that one of our instructors, Liz Aebersold, uses when describing this. She compares it to a momma bird feeding the baby birds. As long as the momma bird keeps feeding them, they’ll just stay in the nest. On the other hand, leader questioning prepares them to leave the nest.

The Manager’s Temptation

Managers are good at solving problems. That’s probably why they were promoted to manager in the first place! They are good at what they do. As soon as a team member brings an issue to the manager, it is very tempting to put our problem-solving hats on. We’ve experienced these types of issues before. We’re good at solving problems. We like solving problems. Our immediate reaction is, “What do you got for me?” Acting like a wise old sage, we just want the information so we can solve the problem for them. “If you have problems you can’t solve, bring them to me and I’ll solve them for you.”

Examples of Manager Questions

Because managers slide quickly into problem-solving mode, their questions will center on gathering data from the other person. Once the manager has all the data needed, they can solve the issue. These questions turn the other person into nothing more than a data carrier. We take all decision making away from them and position ourselves as the expert. This doesn’t grow your team and it can actually be demotivating to them. Managerial questions sound like this:

• Who have you talked to already?
• When did this start?
• How did this happen?
• Who was involved?
• Where are they now?
• What day does it need to be done?
• When will they be back in the office?

Downside of always using manager questions:

• Doesn’t engage the other person intellectually
• It can feel like an interrogation
• It doesn’t inspire or motivate the other person
• It creates a culture where all issues must be brought to the manager

How to Question like a Leader

When managers question like a leader, they invite the other person into the problem-solving process. Leaders help others grow by asking questions that make them think about a potential solution. This style of questioning will keep the other person focused on both the past (analysis) and the future (speculation and imagination.) This style of questioning goes to a deeper level of thinking than just regurgitating data to the manager.

Examples of Leader Questions

• How do you think we can fix this?
• What can you do to avoid this type of problem in the future?
• Who should be involved in the solution?
• When do you think is the best time to start?
• What was the critical error that caused all this?
• What did you learn from this?
• How do we proceed from here?

Benefits of using Leader Questions:

• Fosters professional growth in others
• Inspires and motivates through autonomy
• Develops trust and respect
• Creates new leaders

There’s a time and place for both manager and leader questions. It’s important to understand the difference. Just using one style all the time will eventually cause issues. Make sure you think about your interactions and avoid the temptation to put on that problem-solving hat too quickly.

Next week’s blog post we’ll look at responding to leader questions. When YOU are asked a leader question and you have an opportunity to think deeper before presenting your thoughts, how should you respond? I’ll share a couple simple models for structured response.

Until next week,

Russ

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Russ Peterson Jr. is the co-founder and Managing Director of iSpeak, Inc. – An award-winning professional development training company. Russ is a speaker, international trainer, and published author on Professional Sales Communication and Business Communication. He delivers workshops, keynotes, and personal communication coaching services to business professionals in the US and around the world. You can connect with Russ directly through Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.