{"id":48165,"date":"2021-11-09T14:16:13","date_gmt":"2021-11-09T19:16:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ccl.org\/?post_type=articles&p=48165"},"modified":"2025-10-09T15:03:02","modified_gmt":"2025-10-09T19:03:02","slug":"the-best-leaders-always-ask-these-questions","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/www.ccl.org\/articles\/leading-effectively-articles\/the-best-leaders-always-ask-these-questions\/","title":{"rendered":"The Best Leaders Always Ask These Questions"},"content":{"rendered":"

Introduction<\/h2>\n

What are the types of questions that leaders should ask? Our former President & CEO John Ryan used to tell this story about the power of a leader asking good questions:<\/p>\n

While exploring potential assignments near the end of my career with the U.S. Navy, I sought out advice from a trusted mentor.\u00a0\u201cWhat\u2019s your goal for the time you have remaining with the Navy?\u201d he asked.<\/em><\/p>\n

When I told him that wasn\u2019t clear yet, he asked another question: \u201cWhat do you enjoy most?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s easy,\u201d I told him. \u201cHelping people unleash their potential.\u201d I\u2019d had the privilege of doing that not only through teaching colleagues how to fly Navy planes but also by leading talented women and men in a variety of assignments over 3 decades.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cIs unlocking potential the kind of thing you want to focus on in your next job?\u201d he asked.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cNow that you put it that way,\u201d I told him, \u201cI believe it is.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

He came back with one final question: \u201cAre your current actions and thinking leading you in that direction?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

I had to admit they were not.<\/em><\/p>\n

That was a hard realization, and it’s what set me on an entirely new career path.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And it all started with a series of good questions that got right to the heart of things.<\/p>\n

Voltaire said we should \u201cjudge a man by his questions rather than by his answers,\u201d and that is never more true than in leadership roles.<\/p>\n

The most effective leaders are those who ask good questions. To do this, they develop great diagnostic abilities and thus can cut through seemingly complicated situations and identify the levers that will really make a difference. They have insatiable curiosity, the humility to know they can and must learn every day, and an awareness of their own limitations.<\/p>\n

They have the mindset of a coach, and coaching, as we\u2019ve explored in the Better Conversations Every Day: 4 Core Skills That Will Change The Way You Lead And Live Your Life<\/a><\/em>, is not <\/em>about dispensing advice.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s about helping people tap into and act on their own knowledge, it\u2019s about how to have a coaching conversation,<\/a> and most importantly, it\u2019s about the ability to ask powerful questions and then really, actively listen<\/a>\u00a0to understand\u00a0people\u2019s answers.<\/p>\n

Leaders know they need the right information to make the right decisions. The only way to get the information needed is by asking for it. Thoughtful questions open lines of communication with our teams, our organizations and, perhaps most importantly, ourselves.<\/p>\n

The Best Leadership Questions to Ask<\/h2>\n

So, what are the types of questions leaders should ask? A good place to start are the ones management pioneer Peter Drucker posed The 5 Most Important Questions You Will Ever Ask About Your Organization<\/em>:<\/p>\n