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Just Ask Leadership

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Just Ask Leadership

Why Great Managers Always Ask the Right Questions

McGraw-Hill,

15 min read
10 take-aways
Audio & text

What's inside?

Leading doesn’t mean just issuing orders. Ask the right questions to stay informed and to clarify goals.

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Editorial Rating

7

Qualities

  • Innovative
  • Applicable

Recommendation

The Greek philosopher Socrates, father of the famous Socratic method, never met a question he did not like. Executive coach and consultant Gary B. Cohen shows a similar enthusiasm for the power of questions, believing that you should measure great leaders by what they ask rather than how they command. And to that end, he provides a number of specific leadership questions designed to accomplish five broad goals: “improve vision, ensure accountability, build unity and cooperation, create better decisions and motivate [people] to action.” Although Cohen’s writing style is quite basic, his colorful anecdotes and case studies effectively tackle an often overlooked facet of leadership. If you are uncertain about which question to start with, getAbstract has one for you: Why not check out this book?

Summary

Ask, Don’t Tell

Do you like being told what to do? Or do you prefer that people ask for your thoughts and opinions instead? Ninety-five percent of leaders interviewed prefer the latter. Ironically, nearly 60% of the same individuals would rather issue orders than ask others for input. Isn’t it time for leaders to extend the same courtesy and respect to others that they want for themselves? Don’t lead by telling; lead by asking. Learn from Jack Chain’s example. When he was a Pentagon staff officer, he described his job thusly: “I answer questions.” He has since become a four-star general and says, “Now, I ask the questions.” The best advice for any leader is “just ask.”

“Improve Vision”

Asking questions can help you better understand yourself, your colleagues and your company. Use questions like the following to test your values and goals:

  • “Are our values as strong as our profits?” – Marketing Architects, a Minneapolis-based firm, buys radio time on behalf of direct-response advertisers. When the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks occurred, many other advertisers quickly pulled their ads. However, Marketing Architects continued...

About the Author

Gary B. Cohen was co-founder and president of ACI Telecentrics and is managing partner at CO2 Partners, an executive coaching and consulting firm.

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