This is the title of a book I think any leader will find very useful. It is also an exhortation to not always need to have something to say. Indeed, as the book very ably points out, increasingly skilful use of questions can yield several benefits:

• Keep the leader teachable and able to learn . One of the things which struck me about a chief executive I supported was the fact that he was evidently secure enough to learn from anyone and any level in his vast organisation. He would be heard to say, ‘That is really interesting/useful, can you please explain to me how it works?’
• Benefit from wisdom that others might be inclined to keep stashed away. This reminds me of a situation I witnessed recently. A group of managers was working together to revisit and refresh their strategic priorities for the next two years. Three of the break-out groups each had a member who spoke incessantly. It was as though these three individuals had never heard of questions and listening.
• Formulate and execute better strategies. In any group, the leader should be, among other things, the Chief Listening Officer. This is listening which manages your ignorance and better deploys your knowledge.

I want to strongly commend to you the book, Leading With Questions. Buy it, read it, re-read it, mark it, use it, and read it again. Do this and watch as the quality of your interactions as a leader improve in quality and value.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 7th, 2007 at 3:23 pm and is filed under Book reviews, Leadership. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.