I have a message written on the white board in my office. It reads,
‘ask a question before answering.’This is such an important action step that I want to remind myself everyday. Maybe you are like me in that your mind gets going so fast when you’re in a conversation. It’s a tough habit to break ... to not jump right in and offer solutions or make a quick contribution.
Here’s an example of
stellar results that happened when the leader asked a question before answering. He was teaching his team to think for themselves.
John is the VP of a large portfolio with 35 years of experience. He knows the business inside and out. So when one of his properties was down to an abnormal 92% occupancy, instead of telling the site team what to do he emailed these questions:
Where does our best traffic come from i.e. CraigsList or referrals? How much are we paying for referrals? Where have we had the best success? That was all it took for the
team to take responsibility in creating a high-impact, high-result campaign. As their residents are a great source for referrals, they rolled out a $1000 referral program. They kept the offer in place until they were at
96% occupancy...which was only a matter of weeks!
Try it today. When someone asks you a question, stop and ask a question first. A leader’s job is to get his/her team members to think and solve situations that arise. Questions do that. They empower and accelerate responsibility when used authentically!
So, what are your most useful questions? When have you gotten even greater results by asking instead of telling?