Leadership is not about knowing all the answers

In Sri Lankan culture, leaders are believed to be people who have solutions to problems. You look up to leaders for advice, guidance, coaching, direction and various means of support - basically providing answers.

The recent downfall of many Sri Lankan finance companies was due to the lack of this discipline in organizations. If the right questions were asked by the leaders they could have avoided such disasters.

I have learned over the years that leadership is not about knowing all the answers - it's not practical or real. You know that multiple heads are always better than one head - good leaders will pick from everyone's brains. It's all about knowing what great questions to ask, and carefully listening to the others for solutions.

Best solutions

The leader who has the best questions will always find the best answers. Good leaders know how to ask great questions - questions that inspire, motivate, and empower people. Astute leaders use questions to encourage full participation of the team to spur innovation and out-of-the-box thinking to fish out the best solution of many potential solutions; Every problem has more than one solution - better leaders will always pick the best idea.

Questions wake people up. They prompt new ideas. They show people new avenues and directions, new ways of doing the same old thing. They help us admit that we don't know all the answers. In the process you become more knowledgeable and confident.

Successful questioning is one of the most powerful skills for not only leaders, but for all people Leading with questions provides wonderful illumination on a subject often hidden in the shadows. The ability to frame and ask the right question is a desired skill for everyone in life. This is a skill that needs to be developed with experience.

Lasting success

Leading with questions is brilliant and thought provoking. It is a huge wake up call to all leaders that 'smarter questions' are the best recipe for lasting success.

The most successful leaders lead with questions, and they use questions more frequently. Successful and effective leaders create the conditions and environment to ask and be asked questions. The purpose of leading with questions is to help you become a stronger leader by learning how to ask the right questions effectively, how to listen effectively, and how to create a climate in which asking questions becomes as natural as breathing.

When did you start using questions and why? What are the ways in which you use questions? You can learn to ask the powerful questions that will generate quick results and long-term learning and success. As leaders advance, they tend to ask fewer questions and provide more answers. This is precisely the wrong approach. The right way is the complete opposite - as you advance ask more questions. You should ask the right questions in the right context- enabling individuals and organizations to thrive.

Leadership is about helping others to flourish with ideas and contributions. And you do that by asking questions. This empowers co-workers to find solutions, embrace responsibility, and become accountable. Moreover, it opens the door to greater productivity and creativity. Indeed, more than ever before, leaders can't know everything. By seeking others' input, they can inspire powerful and positive change.

Are you ready to make breakthroughs?

The most effective leaders ask the right questions and help those for whom they are responsible, to also do so. Over time, both the questions and the answers will inevitably change but the process of interrogation will remain. Leading with questions is a skill that needs breaking old habits and forming new more productive ones. Are you ready to increase your learning? Are you ready to tap into the potential of the people around you? Are you ready to make breakthroughs and create innovations? Then questions are for you!