Management Topics Are You Asking the Right Questions? same thing


Doing the


same thing same thing same thing same thing same thing same thing same thing same thing same thing same thing


“D


oing the same thing over and over, yet expecting different results is the definition of madness.” – attributed to Albert Einstein


Most of us have heard this quote before, and we may even smile a little because it seems so obvious. Yet, we do it more often than we realize. It becomes obvious for me when I


ask my teenage son after school (for the umpteenth time), “How was your day?” The response is usually some form of grunt or – if I’m really lucky – a bored “Good.” The same plays out in conversations


at work (even though it may be a bit more friendly and go on for longer). It’s less noticeable when the other person is polite and plays along in repeating the conversation. Sometimes, we feel trapped in the same conversation because we already know what’s coming next in the dialogue – or we feel trapped in the same challenge and repeat the same action again and again. If you are in a leadership position, this can cause even more frustration – both for the leader and team. You may


24 ❘ July 2019 ®


over and


over, yet


expecting


different results different results different results different results different results different results different results different results different results different results different results


ask your team something but keep getting the same unsatisfying response or reaction (for the team, it feels like they are trapped in a Groundhog Day movie experience of leadership). Sometimes, we even engage in this


kind of conversation, knowing full well what’s coming. We hope that the other person will finally say or do something different so that we finally get to a different outcome. Yet, the other person feels just the same way, and you both remain stuck. This


is frustrating at the for stake everyone


involved. In addition to the individuals, also the organization is stuck in this circle. What’s


for improved the


organization are opportunities for innovation,


organizational


performance and true engagement of the employees. Here’s the way out. It’s both simple and easy (with a couple of minutes of preparation). The really simple part: we need to ask different questions. We tend to ask the same questions and go about things in the same way. When we change the questions we ask, we get different answers, and it sheds new light


is the


definition of


madness


onto the situation. Asking new questions is our access to seeing the situation from a different perspective and it opens new opportunities. So, how do we find new questions?


That’s the part that takes a few minutes of preparation. . . . Find a colleague or friend and ask


them for five minutes of their time. Explain the situation for which you want to get their insight. This can be a current challenge, a difficult situation or anything else where you want to get an outside perspective. Ask your colleague to ask questions that they would like to get answered if this was their challenge. Tell them to ask as many questions as possible. Also, tell them that you will not answer any of the questions or respond in any way. You will be silent while your friend asks one question after the other. Your role is just to listen and notice which of the questions are new to you. As tempting as it may be, don’t interrupt – just listen and pay attention to the questions. This is not about responding to the questions or clarifying anything for


the other person. It’s about you hearing new questions that can be used


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32