CHAPTER 8

Guide With Strategic Questions

The manager asks how and when; the leader asks what and why.

—WARREN BENNIS, AUTHOR, PROFESSOR, AND CONSULTANT FOCUSING ON LEADERSHIP

Strategic thinkers use leading questions to advance a discussion and their case.

For example, maybe your organization exhibits at an industry trade show every year. In the weekly staff meeting, the agenda item surfaces and your team begins to discuss new ways to generate traffic to your booth. You might raise the provocative question, “Could we generate more positive industry buzz by not attending the trade show this year? I’m thinking of three organizations which did exactly that in their respective industries recently.” Give your examples, and then wait for others to ponder ...

Get Communicate Like a Leader now with the O’Reilly learning platform.

O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.

Start your free trial