The Art of Inquiry
September 28th, 2009 | 
Author: As a leader, you (believe you) live in a world of answers. You (think) you`ve been paid to have answers, to impart knowledge, to tell. Your employees may have developed a habit of counting on you to tell them your answers. Yet they know the answers themselves, in their own way. They are wise too. The greatest knowledge of all can be within the world beneath what is explicitly known, especially when it comes to unlocking the potential in your employees. This is the place where the answers are elusive to you and where your employees hold fast to their own wisdom. Their best answers are locked inside. These answers are the ones that will help them to grow and develop in the way that works best for them, for you, and will provide creative solutions for your organization. Unlocking Potential with Questions What are the best questions to ask, and how do you create them to be the kind that will help your employees and your organization be the best they can be?
A blogging friend, Steve Roesler, all around nice guy and a very wise person, writes great things at All Things Workplace, and has a new (free!) coaching e-guide out (available on his site). His post, “Do These and You`ll be Coaching” prompted me to write about my own take on how to design the best coaching questions.
After asking the question, one of the most important things you can do is to listen to the answers. And then listen some more. Steve Roesler couldn`t have said it better: “The act of listening after a question is a gift that few people get. Listening shows respect. When it comes from “the boss” it’s an indication of trust in one’s ability to problem-solve.” Beautifully said, Steve.
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22 Responses to “The Art of Inquiry”
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Mary Jo,
I agree 100% with the power of listening. I think listening is just as important as the questions asked. If a manager develops the reputation of interrupting and cutting answers short, employees develop the mindset that the manager has made a decision before the question is asked. Employees will not only be discouraged from developing thoughtful answers, they will be less likely to pose their own questions and communicate with the manager.
Hi Kevin,
And listening is a simple concept, but one of the hardest things to do!
Excellent post Mary Jo. I think we are still up against a deeply rooted belief system in business that "knowledge is power". The conversation is changing, but I don't believe the belief has yet transformed in most organizations. There still seems to be a strong pull for bosses and their subordinate's alike to think the boss is supposed to have the answers. So I do not think inquiry is natural for many managers. You provide a great guide for using this critical tool.
Hi Susan,
Thanks for stopping over and offering your comments. I agree! I teach a class called "Coaching for Breakthrough Performance". Highly interactive, experiential – participants leave pumped and ready to try out their new skills. The hard part is when they bump up against the very culture you describe. We set up support mechanisms in class, for post-class learning – but sometimes it isn't enough to overcome the very issues you speak of.
Mary Jo, Your questions are spot on. I like them. But let's step back. Setting the context for the inquiry is critical to success. The three most valuable questions I know for setting that context are — How did you come to be here (with me)? How do you feel about being here (with me)? What would you like to have happen? If a coach listens to the answers, they will join the person in their world. Too many coaches try to bring the person into their world, which creates distraction. The next step is further inquiry to find something that will help gently nudge the person in the direction they want to go.
Aloha Mary Jo, good follow-up on the art of inquiry, however I must say that what I like most about your post is the way you elaborate on that place managers can tap into which resides in others – so much so that I quoted you on my Tumblr:
http://rosasay.tumblr.com/post/199406333/asmus-inquiry
Susan, your add here in the comments resonates very strongly as well – something we've called MKIA in the past, that “Must Know It All” affliction wherein knowledge is not power, but an assumption-riddled roadblock to open-minded learning.
Steven, thanks for adding your wisdom. I love your questions!
Rosa, kind of you to add the quote, thank you. And your MKIA acronym is superb, as well as your description of it. Thanks!
Thank you for posting your insightful ideas. The idea of harvesting information in my work group is important to me and as you point out one of the blockers is asking leading questions. For me, leading questions are a result of a decision already made or not believing someone else might have a better idea. There are many times where we are under pressure to get to a solution and it's easy to miss opportunities by not truly collaborating with others. One of my focuses now is to try to not finalize a decision in my own mind until I talk with folks in my group. This approach helps me to ask meaningful questions.
There are two great points here, Mary Jo. One is that asking questions is one of the most effective means known to humanity for finding things out. The other is the learning point where you've listed specifics that I can use at work or at a dinner party. Thanks.
Loren, I like your technique and would be curious to hear more about how it works for you.
Wally, The secret is now out. Great questions = interesting dinner party. Works especially well after the second bottle of wine empties. Let me know how the next party goes for you!
Mary Jo,
This is really fascinating watching the conversation expand. Thanks for the kind words.
And let's help Wally with his dinner party. . .
I found this post to be very insightful. I think that in today's society people are focused on having the right and quick answer. Open ended questions can be scary and leaves a person vulnerable to being wrong. Do you have any suggestions for when employees are stressed and concerned about not receiving the "right" answer from a manager?
Steve, is that your code name? I like it but its hard to pronounce!
Jennifer, if you are the manager, use the questioning technique to help employees to feel a part of the solutions or to have their concerns aired. If you are one of the employees, you should find a way to speak up to the manager and address your concerns. "Difficult Conversations" or "Be Quiet, Be Heard" (my personal favorite) are good books to provide some foundations for having that conversation.
Mary Jo –
Very insightful post, helpful to leaders and everyone (even those at dinner parties!). Breaking free from your own point of view is a crtical first step for real dialogue and exploration. All too often we fail to create the learning environment because we're stuck on the 'right answer' that's in our minds.
Ah yes, the dinner party! My father was a pastor and we often hosted both dinner parties and receptions for members of the church. Before each one, my mother prepped my sister and me with the questions we might ask each guest. We were to ask questions that would encourage the guest to talk. There were two outcomes. First, I learned a ton about a lot of things because I asked the questions that got people immersed in them talking. Second, my sister and I both gained a reputation in the church as "excellent conversationalists."
When I started training bosses, I found that those same lessons worked for them. If you show up a lot and ask conversational questions (ie don't conduct an interrogation) you will be rewarded with knowledge and a reputation as a boss who cares.
Jane, I think you've hit on a point here. It isn't just about the questions and how you ask them; inquiry is truly a way of being. It requires openness and a learning attitude. Oh, and the hard one – vulnerability.
Wally, I love your stories. I can see that your background makes you a good coach. And your point about not falling into the "interrogation" trap is well taken. Managers who are most enthusiastic about the Art of Inquiry can do that. So they need to find a way to sprinkle a conversation with those great open-ended questions.
You are right on with the statement "People can smell leading questions a mile away." What fascinates me is that even though we know that well we don't ever seem to stop trying to use them. Change happens so often and so quickly today that there are lots of opportunities to engage employees in decisions about direction and outcome. Too often though our engagement is superficial, with no intention of real involvement. That lack of transparency is so evident to employees and is so damaging to trust. We need to stop doing it. We would be better served by just telling people we are going to make the decision and we will try to make it the best we can for everyone but we don't feel we can invest the time or effort in gathering their opinions. They would at least believe we were being honest then.
Paul,
Great insight! This stuff has to be genuine – if you are asking questions to truly get input or to truly help others develop, it will work well for you. But if you are only pretending at what you call superficial involvement,trust will be broken. Behind the Art of Inquiry is a "way of being", not just a "way of doing".
Your response brings up a conundrum. Asking questions and listening to the answers takes time. I tell my clients that they must be willing to accept the short term pain of the time required for the long term gain of an engaged workforce. This stuff really works, and as so often happens, there are no quick fixes.
Mary Jo,
I think you bring up some wonderful points here and I'm especially enjoying the conversation you have inspired with your piece.
Through all the comments, and the ideas presented in your post, one concept stands out that I think many of us often overlook – in these engagements, in these interactions, it's not about us. Rather, it's about what others are seeking from us to help them with whatever challenges they are facing.
If we become more cognizant of this fact, we'd realize that it really isn't a matter of how much we know, but how much we're able to really hear what others are telling us and what we can do to help them address the difficulties they clearly see us being able to aid them with.
Again, this is a great conversation and I look forward to hearing what others have to share on it.
Great post, Mary Jo. I, for one, truly believe in the power of inquiry. I have found that the best way to establish authentic relationships is to be willing to listen to what the person has to say and to be more curious beyond what was said. Knowing the right questions to ask as well as the proper way to do it (in neutral tone without judgment, as mentioned in your post) will also bring down the person's guard and will ultimately feel more secure in answering your questions honestly. Carrying a conversation in this way truly is an art.
Tanveer: I agree! The focus must be on the wants and needs of the other person for the Art of Inquiry to be genuine.
Cirel: curiosity is a great tool. Thanks!
Congratulations! This post was selected as one of the five best independent business blog posts of the week in my Three Star Leadership Midweek Review of the Business Blogs.
http://blog.threestarleadership.com/2009/09/30/93009-midweek-look-at-the-independent-business-blogs.aspx
Wally Bock