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This summer I returned to consulting for the first time in many years. I had expected to enjoy the process, but I had not expected to learn as much as I have from every project. Sometimes it takes a change of scenery to remind us of management methods we always knew.
One of the things I now ask myself before each team meeting is, "How can I help the group achieve its goals by asking questions?"
Not by lecturing. Not by directing. Just by asking questions.
In a couple of settings recently this was my principal activity for the day. After those meetings I was given a lot of praise for my "contributions." Pretty cool, considering the fact that the team really contributed the answers for themselves. They'd just needed someone to focus the questions and bound things with an occasional slice of industry-standard-practice or a reality check to keep the process on track.
Why does this work so well in a wide variety of situations?
- The team is starting a project in a new genre or market and lacks experience.
- Three months into the game the initial momentum has broken down and there's confusion about what's wrong.
- It's six months from the ship date and the mission and the schedule and the specifications don't match.
And so on...
In all these situations teams have to reach agreement on where they are now, and on what the mission requires them to do. Only then can they work begin on planning the right next steps. And only with a solid plan will the team's confidence and energy start to grow as they see a clear goal to work for.
Whether you're a manager or a consultant, asking questions doesn't just cover the topics. It allows you to find the points of consensus, even if points of disagreement remain. That consensus will be the basis for the plan that moves the group forward towards its goals.
And, to state the obvious, why should I do this only in team settings? In my experience the power of asking questions is even greater when the principle is applied to one-on-one discussions.
If you're a manager, what would happen if you tried this method the next time you're in a meeting to sort out conflicting plans?
Ask questions about the current status and about the group's overall goals, and write the answers on a board or pad. If you get contradictory answers, write them all down and then ask more questions (and add key information only as needed) to isolate which items are kept and which are erased.
Building those two lists may take 2 minutes or 2 hours, but once the group agrees then you've set the table for a much more productive discussion of what happens next.
Not a manager? Try the technique as a participant in a meeting. Has no one mentioned that the Chairman said that 10,000 widgets have to be in the warehouse by November 15? Ask "How many widgets did the Chairman say we have to have?"
It won't always work, but often you can help the group make progress without setting off any of the ego and control issues that might be impeding progress in the room.
Here's the kicker. After you ask a lot of questions and everyone else talks about their opinions, someone will turn to you and say, "What do you think?"
And everyone in the room will listen to your answer... because you've already spent your time listening to theirs.
Copyright (c) 2008, Don Daglow
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