Unlock the power of questions to transform your leadership and coaching approach. Discover how asking the right questions can open doors to clarity, challenge assumptions, and create lasting impact. Learn why your questions matter more than the answers and how they can shift perspectives, shape experiences, and drive personal growth.
Why Should You Focus on Questions?
The other day, I had an interesting conversation with a colleague about our experience at Royal Roads University.
“What made the experience transformative for you,” I asked.
He talked about how the power of questions enabled him to think differently about things, and I agree with him completely.
Fast-forward a few years, and I now know from my experience as a coach that the questions you ask are often far more powerful than the answers.
Yes, you heard that right.
Questions. Not answers.
Questions Open Doors
The right questions open the doors to new mindful territory. They make people think, challenge people’s assumptions, and create space for growth.
In your role as a supervisor, manager, leader (or anyone who asks questions), it’s easy to focus on finding answers. However, without collecting needed information through inquiry, you may find the “right answer” is the wrong solution! The team member may struggle with the same problem – or worse!
Questions create clarity, help people define what they truly want, and force them to see the bigger picture.
Questions can cause people to think, create answers people believe in, and motivate people to act on those ideas.
The best part is that the answers people need become transparent when people are clear about their goals, values, and priorities.
Shifting Perspectives
A good question can shift people’s perspective. It can help them see opportunities where they once only saw obstacles, recognize their strengths, and understand their gaps and opportunities for improvement.
Two great questions to begin with might be:
“What do I value most in my career?”
“What kind of impact do I want to make?”
Note the difference between the aforementioned questions and the go-to question everyone wants to ask us – “What should I do?”
Shaping Our Experience
The questions we ask shape our experiences. They influence our mindset and, ultimately, our decisions.
A good question can shift people’s perspective. It can make people see opportunities where they once only saw obstacles. It can help people recognize their strengths, gaps, and improvement opportunities.
But a great question? Well, that can be transformative.
A great question goes beyond the surface. It dives deep. It challenges people to think critically and creatively. It encourages self-reflection and personal growth. It pushes people out of their comfort zone and into a space where real change happens.
Asking the Right Questions
So, how do you know if you’re asking the right questions?
Start with curiosity.
Instead of asking someone, “Should you take this job?” ask, “How does this opportunity align with your long-term goals?” or “What will you learn from this experience?”
Then, dig deeper.
Refrain from settling for surface-level answers.
Keep asking “why” until you get to the core of what matters to the person. Why do they want this promotion? Why is this goal important to you? Why are you feeling stuck?
If you are familiar with root-cause analysis (The 5 Whys), you will know that the more you question, the more you understand.
And the more people understand the better equipped they will be to make decisions that genuinely align with who they are and what they want.
Remember, it’s not about having all the answers. It’s about asking the right questions.
In the end, the answers will come. But the question? They’re what will get you there.
Try These on For Size
So, what questions are you asking yourself today? And, more importantly, are they the right ones?
Here are just a few great questions that will help you in a wide variety of situations:
- “What is the most important problem you want to solve?”
- “What would make a lasting difference, not just a temporary one?”
- “How does this connect with your overall objectives in life? With your values?”
- “What is behind this situation?”
- “If making this change was easy, you’d have done it without my help. What makes it difficult?”
If you start framing your questions differently, you will uncover more than surface-level information.
