Change your questions to shift your team’s thinking
Many leaders use questions that signal urgency or finality. After all, everyone’s busy, so “Can you get this done by Friday?” seems like a fair thing.
That might keep the churn going but it rarely unlocks new ideas or fresh energy.
Speaking with a group of leaders this week, we considered different ways to frame powerful questions, for example:
What possibilities haven’t we thought of yet?
What’s your boldest version of this idea?
How would we approach this if there were no limits?
Can you feel the different energy in those questions?
Of course, you can swap “we” for “I” and “my” to work the same magic on your own thinking.
Better questions don’t just generate better ideas - they invite possibility without demanding instant perfection.
They signal trust, spark motivation and reduce the fear of “getting it wrong.”
That’s a leadership skill worth mastering.
