Questions That Get Results: Innovative Ideas Managers Can Use to Improve Their Teams' Performance

Book description

Ask the right questions and get improved, sustained employee performance

Since technology has made it easy to access, share, and distribute company data, many managers avoid live interaction, instead relying on emails, text messages, Web-based seminars to manage their employees. But although technology has changed, people have not. There is still a need for effective face-to-face communication; managers need to have the ability to ask the right questions and use the answers to find solutions.

Questions That Get Results is an innovative, powerful resource that provides managers with the questions that lead to real answers for motivating employees, minimizing conflicting priorities, maximizing working relationships, building trust, holding the team accountable, coaching for greater performance, selling ideas, creating change, hiring the best candidates, and negotiating solutions to internal and external conflicts.

  • Each chapter profiles a manager who is struggling to communicate, an otherwise successful leader who is simply missing an element in their managerial toolkit

  • Following each profile are practical tools that will assist any manager faced with a similar situation

  • Together the authors train approximately 30,000 professionals per year

Increase your effectiveness and bring out the best in your employees by learning the Questions That Get Results.

Table of contents

  1. Copyright
  2. Introduction
  3. 1. Questions That Get Results
    1. 1.1. USING QUESTIONS TO SOLVE PROBLEMS
    2. 1.2. DESCRIPTIVE QUESTIONS
    3. 1.3. COMPARE-AND-CONTRAST QUESTIONS
      1. 1.3.1. Managing Internal Relationships
      2. 1.3.2. Implementing Change over Time
      3. 1.3.3. Determining Criteria
    4. 1.4. IMPACT QUESTIONS
    5. 1.5. LOCK-ON QUESTIONS
    6. 1.6. CONCLUSION
  4. 2. Questions That Manage Your Team
    1. 2.1. THERE IS NO "I" IN "TEAM"
    2. 2.2. MANAGING ATTITUDES AND ACTIONS
    3. 2.3. HOW TO MAKE A CHANGE
    4. 2.4. CONCLUSION
  5. 3. Questions That Delegate
    1. 3.1. 5 STEPS TO EFFECTIVE DELEGATING
      1. 3.1.1. Step 1: Choose the Right Person
      2. 3.1.2. Step 2: Plan and Prepare
      3. 3.1.3. Step 3: Hold Delegation Meetings
      4. 3.1.4. Step 4: Follow Up
      5. 3.1.5. Step 5: Evaluate, Offer Feedback, and Move Forward
    2. 3.2. WHEN DELEGATION DOESN'T WORK
    3. 3.3. WHEN DELEGATION WORKS
  6. 4. Questions That Coach
    1. 4.1. WHY DO MANAGERS AVOID COACHING?
    2. 4.2. STEPS TO SUCCESSFUL COACHING
    3. 4.3. WHEN COACHING IS NOT ENOUGH
    4. 4.4. COACHING FOR THE FUTURE
  7. 5. Questions That Motivate
    1. 5.1. APPRECIATION
    2. 5.2. GUIDANCE
    3. 5.3. COMMUNICATION
    4. 5.4. SUCCESS
  8. 6. Questions That Hire
    1. 6.1. MEASURABLE VERSUS NONMEASURABLE QUALITIES
    2. 6.2. INSTINCTUAL INTERVIEWING
    3. 6.3. A DIFFERENT WAY TO INTERVIEW
      1. 6.3.1. 1. Credentials
      2. 6.3.2. 2. Experience
      3. 6.3.3. 3. Opinion
      4. 6.3.4. 4. Behavior-Based
        1. 6.3.4.1. Helpful Hints for Using Behavior-Based Questions
          1. 6.3.4.1.1. Listen for the Answer.
          2. 6.3.4.1.2. Focus on Actions
        2. 6.3.4.2. Session 1: Amy
        3. 6.3.4.3. Session 2: Deanna
  9. 7. Questions That Uncover Goals
    1. 7.1. HOW TO TURN YOUR DREAM INTO A GOAL
    2. 7.2. UNDERSTANDING EMPLOYEES ON THE MIDDLE TIER
  10. 8. Questions That Manage Across
    1. 8.1. MANAGING ACROSS: A ONE-TIME PROBLEM
    2. 8.2. MANAGING ACROSS: AN ONGOING PROBLEM
  11. 9. Questions That Manage Upwards
    1. 9.1. QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR BOSS
    2. 9.2. WHEN YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT THE BOSS WANTS
  12. 10. Questions That Develop and Sustain External Business Relationships
    1. 10.1. DEVELOPING BUSINESS RELATIONSHIPS
    2. 10.2. RESEARCHING POTENTIAL CLIENTS: QUESTIONS TO UNDERSTAND THEIR NEEDS
    3. 10.3. HOW QUESTIONS CAN SAVE YOU TIME AND MONEY
    4. 10.4. MAINTAINING A STRONG CONNECTION
    5. 10.5. STRENGTHENING THE BOND
    6. 10.6. FIXING WHAT'S BROKEN
  13. 11. Questions That Manage Your Career
    1. 11.1. WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM YOUR CAREER?
    2. 11.2. WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO OFFER?
      1. 11.2.1. 1. Self-Assessment
      2. 11.2.2. 2. Peer Assessment
      3. 11.2.3. 3. Employee Assessment
      4. 11.2.4. 4. Superior Assessment
    3. 11.3. WHAT ABOUT PATRICIA?
  14. 12. Questions That Assess Opportunities
    1. 12.1. WHY CANDIDATES FAIL TO ASK THE IMPORTANT QUESTIONS
    2. 12.2. ASKING THE RIGHT QUESTIONS DURING A JOB INTERVIEW
      1. 12.2.1. 1. Questions about the Corporate Culture
      2. 12.2.2. 2. Questions about Who Else Is Involved
      3. 12.2.3. 3. Questions about the Company's History and Future
      4. 12.2.4. 4. Questions about Your Supervisor
      5. 12.2.5. 5. Questions about the Management Team
      6. 12.2.6. 6. Questions about the Employees You Will Manage
      7. 12.2.7. 7. Questions to Ask Yourself
      8. 12.2.8. 8. Questions about Salary and Benefits
      9. 12.2.9. 9. Questions about Accepting a New Position with Your Current Employer
      10. 12.2.10. 10. Questions about Noncompete and Severance Agreements
    3. 12.3. CONCLUSION
  15. 13. Questions That Manage Your Relationships with Your Kids
  16. Acknowledgments

Product information

  • Title: Questions That Get Results: Innovative Ideas Managers Can Use to Improve Their Teams' Performance
  • Author(s): Paul Cherry, Patrick Connor
  • Release date: November 2010
  • Publisher(s): Wiley
  • ISBN: 9780470767849