Effective Leadership

Learn to Ask
Better Questions
 Introduction
• Every leader knows that it
is very important to
connect honestly with his
team.

• One way to help foster

improved connections is
by asking good questions.
 Introduction
• Leaders who excel at asking
good questions have honed an
ability to cut to the heart of the
manner in a way that disarms
the person being interviewed
and opens the door for genuine
conversation.
 Important
• Whether they are talking to
customers, interviewing job
candidates, talking to their
bosses, or even questioning
staff, executives need to draw
people out.

• And so often, it is not a matter

of what you ask, it is how you
ask it.
 Be Curious
• Sadly, some managers feel that
being the first and last person to
speak is a sign of strength.
• Such attitude cuts off information
at its source, from the very
people (employees, customers,
vendors) whom you should trust
the most.
• Being curious is essential to
asking good questions.
 Be Open-ended
• Leaders should ask questions
that get people to reveal not
simply what happened, but
also what they were thinking.

• Open-ended questions prevent

you from making judgments
based on assumptions, and can
elicit some surprising answers.
 Be Engaged
• When you ask questions, act
like you care.
• Show that you are interested
with affirmative facial
expressions and engaged body
language.
• This sets up further
conversation and gets the
individual to reveal information
that could be important.
 Dig Deeper
• So often executives make the
mistake of assuming all is well if
they are not hearing bad news.
• It may mean employees are afraid
to offer up anything but good news.
• So when information surfaces in
your dialogue, dig for details
without straying into recrimination.
Get the whole story.
 Conclusion
• Asking good questions, and doing
so in spirit of honest information
gathering and eventual
collaboration, is good practice for
leaders.
• It cultivates an environment where
employees feel comfortable
discussing issues that affect both
their performance and that of the
team.
Lico Reis Consultoria
& Línguas
Roberto Lico Reis
www.licoreis.com
licoreis@licoreis.com

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