Leading with Questions:how Leaders Find the Right Solutions By Knowing What to Ask

by Michael J. Marquardt (translator)

In Leading with Questions, internationally acclaimed management consultant Michael Marquardt shows how you can learn to ask the powerful questions that will generate short-term results and long-term learning and success. Throughout the book, he demonstrates how effective leaders use questions to encourage participation and teamwork, foster outside-the-box thinking, empower others, build relationships with customers, solve problems, and much more. Based on interviews with twenty-two successful leaders who “lead with questions,” this important book reveals how to determine which questions will lead to solutions in today’s complicated business world.

Genres: Leadership, Business, Nonfiction, Communication, Professional Development, Management, Personal Development

238 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Li Li · Rating 3 out of 5]

Insightful book, and very easy to read. But could have been better written in a more succinct way. Some redundancy among chapters.

The key message is "ask question with a learner mindset, you are not the judge". It's not the tactic that will make you a good leader, but your mindset - learn and grow by asking questions and listen attentively, patiently with no intent to respond to the others.

Notes I took:

As a coach, what I came to realize is that solving others’ problems is exhausting. It is much more effective to provide the opportunity for them to solve their own problems.

Questions have made me sit back and be a better listener.

Why we have difficulty with asking questions?
1. Fear – those who have the inability to ask questions have problems with their ego.
2. In a rush – it requires discipline to keep questioning. There’s a great temptation to make statements when you are in a hurry and want to move things quickly. When leaders use questions, we are not just share info but share responsibility.
3. Lack of skills and role model – we are out of practice since we are at the age of 3, we don’t know how to ask questions, how to ask great questions. When we do ask questions, we do not do so skillfully, in a way that elicits a frank but friendly response. Why did that happen – as if we are accusing them of duty, or ask innocent questions about a decision that the boss has made.
a. Questions can be perceived as “an invitation, a request, or a missile”.
b. Asking good questions require 2 good skills – what questions to ask and how to ask the right questions effectively

Asking the Right Questions
A key for leaders in asking questions is contextual – what do I want my question to accomplish? What do I want to focus on, do you want to focus on reaction, the reasons why the person did not or cannot succeed, or you want to empower creation?
Questions invoke reactions: Questions invoke creation:
Why are you behind schedule? How do you feel about the schedule so far?
What’s the problem with this project? How would you describe the way you want this project to turn out?
What key things need to happen to achieve the objectives?
What kind of support do you need to assure success?

What are great questions:
• Cause the person to have the right focus and stretch
• Create deep reflection
• Challenge taken-for-granted assumptions that prevent people from acting in new and forceful ways
• Generate courage and strength
• Lead to breakthrough thinking
• Contain the keys that open the door to great solutions
• Enable people to better view the situation
• Open doors in the mind and get people to think more deeply
• Test assumptions and cause individuals to explore why they act in the way that they do as well as why they choose to take actions
• Generate positive and powerful action

Examples:
• What is a viable alternative?
• What are the advantage and disadvantage you see in the suggestion?
• Can you more fully describe your concerns?
• What are your goals?
• How would you describe the current reality?
• What are a few options for improvement?
• What will you commit to do by when?

Often times, the best easiest and most effective way to ask a good question is to simply build on a previous question or on the response to that question. It requires the art and science of careful listening and then generating an open-ended, creative question will quickly and constructively move individuals toward great insights and effective actions.

Open-ended questions (Why, How) should begin with words such as “why” and “how” or phrases such as “what do you think about…” Open-ended questions can help people think analytically and critically. Ultimately, a good open-ended question should stir discussion and debate:
• What do you think about…?
• Could you say more about…?
• What possibilities come to mind? What might happen if you…?
• What do you think you will lose if you give up…?
• What have you tried before?
• What do you want to do next?

One has to ask the why question 3 to 5 times to get to the core why  cause-and-effect thinking

Ask lots of open-ended questions. Open-ended questions that begin with Why or How get people thinking and talking. You may be surprised at how much talk you unleash. You may learn a lot, and even if you just listen, they will walk away happy and feeling heard and respected.

Closed questions (What, When, Where) call for a specific answer, either yes or now, or call for the respondent to select an answer from a limited range of choices. Closed questions often begin with what, when, or how many, or ask the respondent to agree or disagree with a statement.
• How many people will be affected?
• Did you agree with this decision?
• When should we meet?
• What time is it?
• Do you prefer Plan A or Plan B?

Judger versus Learner – the mindset for asking questions –


Frame Questions – we need to question our questions. It’s very easy when questioning to let our own values, preferences, and biases leak into what we are asking. Old habits die hard.
Questioning Process:
1. Break the ice and get the conversation going – keep your tone friendly as you move to set the stage for your questions
a. Is this a good time to talk?
b. How’s your day been?
2. Set the stage for the conversation by explaining what you want to talk about – Establishing the context and background for the conversation. Setting the stage is primarily about you, not the other person. Be forthright in saying that the purpose of the conversation is to learn, understand, not to judge.
a. I hope to get a better understanding of why we are having this problem
b. I want a better feel for how customers are responding to our new products
c. I want to understand how you feel about my plan for the unit
3. Ask what you want to ask – Questioning your own purpose
a. Why do I need this information?
b. What is it that I want to know or find out?
c. What will I do with the answer?
d. How will the answer work to tell or show me what I intend it to do?
4. Listen attentively to the answers and build your questions on top of the answers – you cannot listen and think of the next thing that you are going to ask or say at the same time.
a. Focus on what’s being said, not the next question to ask.
b. Good question will often times caused the recipient to step back and reflect. You should be comfortable when there is no immediate response to a question.
c. Think first, speak last. Pause at the end of the question so that the answerer can think, formulate, and deliver an answer.
d. Use steady eye contact and supportive nods.
e. Listen patiently and listen without interrupting.
f. Restate what you heard in your own words and ask whether your understanding of the argument is consistent with what was said.
5. Follow up

[Alex · Rating 2 out of 5]

The truth? The ideas behind this book are fantastic and need to be thought through deeply. Unfortunately, the writing is really bad. He doesn't go into any depth throughout the entire book. He just rehashes the same vague ideas over and over again. He sort of gives examples, but not very good ones.

This whole book would have been better suited as a series of short blog posts. Cut out 80% of the words in this book and you've got solid information that's worth reading and considering.

I probably will talk with managers and leaders about that 20% for the rest of my life. I'll likely even open this book from time-to-time to review my highlights and change the way I'm handling some situation. But I will probably never recommend this book.

[Myriam · Rating 2 out of 5]

The idea of the book is great and it touches relevant aspects. Unfortunately it remains quite superficial and the same idea keeps on repeating itself after the first third of the book. What a wasted opportunity for an inspiring read.

[Matthew Luttmann · Rating 2 out of 5]

Leading With Questions has a great premise: questions bring out what others have to offer, and that's usually worthwhile. But the endless anecdotes, bullet lists, and quotations about questions create neither a cohesive narrative nor a good tactical guide.

[Thomas Wang · Rating 2 out of 5]

Couldn’t finish the book because of its repetitiveness

[Zach · Rating 2 out of 5]

Who likes to state the obvious and self stroke our own egos through pointless references from failed CEOs?

How's that for a lead off question?

[Merina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great for giving leaders the confidence to think differently and allow themselves to become vulnerable in order to become stronger. More case studies and examples would have been a bonus.

[Tõnu Vahtra · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Zombie companies are companies that are unable to question their prevailing view of reality. A zombie company is a walking corpse that doesn't yet know that it's dead. This company has created an insulated culture, that systematically excludes any information that could contradict its runningpicture of reality. "

"Leading successfully means seeing the world the way it is, not the way we hope it will be or wish it to be" - Jack Welch

"Organizations and leaders that avoid questions, are losing opportunities to learn. Many executives close off learning, in their day-to-day interactions with staff they use either issuing instructions or making judgements about the ideas or performance of others. By telling rather than asking, they are actually making their organizations dumber: less smart, less aligned and less energized every day. In such organizations there is little or no knowledge transfer, intelligence is assumed to reside at the top and everyone below senior management is expected to check their brains at the door"

"Asking great questions has a secondary benefit that may be even more important. A leader who asks is providing a role model. Sincere asking demonstrates a willingness to learn, a desire to serve and humility that can be an inspiration for entire organization"

"Two sharp edges needed in every team: critical enquiry combined with collaborative action. It is hard to collaborate with others without asking and answering questions. And asking and answering questions in a positive way naturally leads to collaboration."

"As a questioning culture promotes learning, it also helps to improve decision making and problem solving. Questioning helps people gain perspectives and understand the perspectives of others. As they see issues and and problems from different points of view, they gain appreciation for their complexity and also expand the range of possible solutions."

The book was published in 2005 so it can be felt that it has aged, some parts also felt repetitive. In the other hand not many books have been written on this important topic and there were plenty of interesting thoughts that have not been recycled in other more recent books. The book makes several references to Collins´ books (Good to Great and Built to last) and Jack Welch ("Winning"), also historic examples like Challenger and Titanic disasters, The Bay of Pigs and management classics like Kotter and Drucker.

“A questioning culture has six hallmarks. When an organization has a questioning culture,
*the people in it Are willing to admit, “I don't know.”
*Go beyond allowing questions; they encourage questions.
*Are helped to develop the skills needed to ask questions in a positive way.
*Focus on asking empowering questions and avoid disempowering questions.
*Emphasize the process of asking questions and searching for answers rather than finding the “right” answers.
*Accept and reward risk taking.”

“Leaders who promote a questioning culture in their organizations move people from dependence to independence.”

“Of course, many leaders do ask questions constantly—questions such as these: Why are you behind schedule? Who isn't keeping up? What's the problem with this project? Whose idea was that? Too often, we ask questions that disempower rather than empower our subordinates. These questions cast blame; they are not genuine requests for information. Other sorts of questions are often no more than thinly veiled attempts at manipulation: Don't you agree with me on that? Aren't you a team player? If you tend to ask these sorts of questions, this book is for you. So the point isn't that leaders just don't ask enough questions. Often, we don't ask the right questions. Or we don't ask questions in a way that will lead to honest and informative answers. Many of us don't know how to listen effectively to the answers to questions—and haven't established a climate in which asking questions is encouraged. And that's where this book comes in. The purpose of Leading with Questions is to help you become a stronger leader by learning how to ask the right questions effectively, how to listen effectively, and how to create a climate in which asking questions becomes as natural as breathing.”

“Peter Drucker found that effective executives all tended to follow the same nine practices: They asked, “What needs to be done?” They asked, “What is right for the enterprise?” They developed action plans. They took responsibility for decisions. They took responsibility for communicating. They were focused on opportunities rather than problems. They ran productive meetings. They thought and said “we” rather than “I.” They listened first, spoke last!”

“leaders of great companies are both very humble and very persistent.”

“Kouzes and Posner emphasize the importance of leaders' engaging people throughout the organization in what they do and why they do it. They ask us to imagine how much more ownership of the values of the organization there would be when leaders actively involve a wide range of people in their development. “Shared values,” they note, “are the result of listening, appreciating, building consensus and practicing conflict resolution. For people to understand the values and come to agree with them, they must participate in the process.”

“Through questions, leaders seek to learn not only what directly causes the problem or what solutions may work (which is single-loop learning), but also to seek to discover and learn what might be the underlying causes and solutions (double-loop learning) as well as the culture and mindset that create these causes and solutions (triple-loop learning).”

On adaptive problem solving (involves the capacity to achieve one's goals in a dynamic situation, in which a method for solution is not immediately available) “if you do not create and maintain a working environment where you are always asking questions of your employees and forcing them to think, then you will probably never be any better tomorrow than you are today. Yesterday's solutions will not solve tomorrow's problems. “I learned that you need to get to a different level of thinking if you are going to tackle tomorrow's problems—and who else is better to teach you how your environment is changing than the managers on the floor or in the trenches?”

“In organizations that discourage questions, on the other hand, questions and those who ask them may be seen as threatening. And when questions are not responded to openly or honestly, or are actually rejected, those who ask them can feel put down and marginalized.”

“Questions have changed me immensely. I have greater self-confidence and a more relaxed attitude. I don't feel that I always have to have the answers in conversations or in situations where I need to speak at the spur of the moment. I feel this has increased my communication skills, especially listening and persuading. I have more trust in myself and others. Leading with questions has led to more trust, which appears to be a paradox of group life. I have stronger initiative and commitment. I learn more as I have become more directional by more questions. I have more patience and self-control, have greater openness and transparency. I now see myself as more adaptable and flexible. I am optimistic about opportunities [and] more inspirational and have greater vision and cognitive capability. Questions have given me greater understanding of organizational and political realities; I recognize the importance of organizational context and orientation. I am more willing to take risks in creating opportunities. I have a greater empathy with employees, customers, and others and a stronger commitment to develop others. My empowerment orientation is greater.”

[Tal Shnall · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book offers several ideas about how to empower yourself and others through questions. If you change your questions, you will change your life. Leaders are confronted with problems everyday. How we approach those problems can make a difference in every organizations. Michael Marquardt offers insightful suggestion for leaders to inquire and discover by asking the right questions with the right way to listen. The book gives any leader the skills to perform well in any situation, effectively communicate a compelling vision to the team, and achieve lasting success across the organization.

[zoagli · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book could have been an e-mail: “Dear managers, instead of ordering your employees around, make sure that they feel safe to question the status quo, and reward them when they do. Sincerely, your CEO.”

[Rod Pierce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book with powerful wisdom.

Book summary:
- questions create climate of honest knowledge gathering and information embraced (questions > answers).
- 3 parts of book 2) a culture of questions 3) how questions to drive organizations

1) why questions
- leaders that know it all and provide solutions less effective vs leader who asks questions and unlocks knowledge & engagement of all
- Questions engage all in the org, says you value opinions. Leaders = find right question, managers = find solutions. Continuous questioning culture ≠ finding answers, = answers drive more important questions.
- 2 types of right questions:
- 1) open (empowers people, respect, self reflection & problem solving) “why” “how” “what if”. Why questions allow deep learning (babies). The 5 whys - get to core issues after ~ 3 why’s. Explorative, probing, analyzing, clarifying questions. Content (limits range) vs process question (better questions, start w first).
- 2) closed questions (breaks down people, limiting, accusatory, implies assumptions). “Who” “What” “when” “where” “how many”. Extracting specific answers won’t allow people to open up. It can be more efficient and faster. Follow up questions show you’re listening. Leading questions lead to a specific answer you seek - interrogation style.
- Mindset: judging vs learning (humble inquiry). Framing question to demonstrate you’re trying to learn. Leading questions often perceived as manipulation - keep Qs opened. Asking too many Qs simultaneously can sound interrogation > conversion, may kill dialogue, wait on f/u questions to allow reflection (allow for uncomfortable silence). Peter Drukker “think first, speak last”. Follow up on answers that result in visible changes maintains credibility and incentivizes future answers to questions.
- Questioning culture: 1) ok saying I don’t know 2) everyone encourages questions 3) taught to ask questions 4) incentivized to ask empowering questions 5) be ok with mistakes. Needs to start at top in safe environment (don’t put people on spot, don’t demand immediate answers, ask in private, don’t lead).
- questions styles - Empowering Qs help team solve own problems (use when coordinating) 1) how can I help you 2) what would you do 3) what would competitor do?
- Good final interview Q: is there something I should have asked that I didn’t?
- Technical vs adaptive problems (specific vs non-specific solution, adaptive problems require asking team questions). Stages of problems: 1) frame the problems (what questions - what is the issue) 2) problem analysis (why questions - why is this an issue) 3) hypothesis generating (how questions - how could we intervene) 4) action stage (what do we do next). Healthy conflict important, unhealthy happens when things get personal and individualistic (greedy).
- Questions for org change: embracing questions within and outside organization will keep it relevant, innovative, and nimble. Extract organizations mission, vision, and values from leaders and stakeholders. “How” questions key at this stage, bc we know what but how we get there is visionary aspect.

[Alex Toh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leading with Questions by Michael J. Marquardt

One of those books that I wished that I had gotten my hands on earlier, especially for various project/leadership roles I have had.

This is an insightful book on the potential of what effective questioning can accomplish and sheds light on the importance of questions itself. Crafting effective questions is a skill that is deceivingly difficult to acquire.

Effective questions by leaders can empower people, boost team morale, plus many of the benefits listed in the book, it is indeed a useful resource.

-Downsides-
I will have to agree with other reviews the content of the book can be draggy, I wish it was more succinct. There were places at the book that felt that it was a repeat of information. The context need not to be repeated
(Upon further reflection, I’m guessing the book is designed that any fresh new reader will be able to jump to any chapter without prior context of previous chapters.)
[Wow, I’m reflecting on the question why the book was designed that way. I guess the book was effective in changing how i think about things. HAHA]

I also have confusion of the formatting of ebook. The way kindle recognises the sections as chapters are really confusing. Personally the way how content/chapters is sectioned is not intuitive for me. I find it hard to remember points taught in the book and have difficulty remembering where i can finding lessons i remembered in the book.

In conclusions, I highly recommend book to any person in leadership position. I’m guilty of the list things to not do in this book, wished I had picked this up earlier!

[Elizabeth Schlatter · Rating 3 out of 5]

More like 3.5 stars. In terms of content, this book is a bit repetitive, as in the main ideas could've been trimmed down by a third. About the first half of the book is why one should lead with questions, and the second half is examples. But that second half, oddly enough, isn't as strong as the first. There are lots and lots and lots of sample questions, but I needed more advice about how to weave these questions into discussions, especially uncomfortable ones. Also, I wondered if the author consulted any research on the difference in how leading with questions affects the perception of female leaders versus male leaders. He does cite women leaders who use this technique successfully, but I wondered if those leaders had to be extra careful in doing so, or had to simultaneously re-establish their authority while asking so many questions. I definitely recommend this book if you can read it along with other people then talk through it. I received this book as part of a program at work, and talking about its precepts and potential applications with my colleagues made the content seem way more interesting and useful beyond the text, than if I'd just read the book on my own.

[Lê Dung · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lãnh đạo bằng câu hỏi không chỉ áp dụng trong lãnh đạo mà cả trong cuộc sống hằng ngày. bởi khi chúng ta hỏi chúng ta sẽ lắng nghe được ý kiến, tôn trọng ý kiến, giúp tổ chức và con người phát triển hơn; đặc biệt là trong các mối quan hệ giúp mọi người gần nhau hơn. Tùy từng đối tượng mà chúng ta có những câu hỏi khác nhau. Một số chú ý khi chúng ta đặt câu hỏi:
1. Chuẩn bị trước câu hỏi và câu trả lời.
2. Quan sát đối tượng và tìm ra đặc điểm đối tưởng để hỏi. Ví dụ một người mới vào làm chúng ta sẽ hỏi: Mục tiêu công việc và mong muốn mức thu nhập như thế nào; với khách hàng thì hỏi họ xem có thích dịch vụ, sản phẩm không ( câu hỏi đóng)
3. Lắng nghe thật kĩ, chuyên tâm, để nắm bắt những gì họ nói.
4. tạo mội trường thoải mái, vui vẻ để họ dễ dàng đưa ra câu hỏi
5. Sự động viên, khen ngợi với mỗi câu hỏi,
6. Không phán xét những câu hỏi,
Đó là vài quan điểm tác giả. Tuy nhiên quyển sách mình đọc hơi chậm vì thỉnh thoảng gặp ngôn từ không trơn tru.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

I gave this 4-stars simply because it brought a new (to me) perspective on leadership -- learning to ask the right questions and not just providing answers/direction. It's an easy read, bringing in a lot of practical thoughts and perspectives from various industry leaders. My biggest complaint is it seemed fairly redundant over the second half of the book. Some of the momentum and interest in the book was lost in the latter portion.
With that said, I look forward to finding ways to practice and implement these techniques both in leading my team at work and leading my family.

[Mike Harris · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author endless restates the same vague ideas over and over again, leaving the poor reader wanting something, anything as an actionable example. There are some examples of questions which in theory come from actual people but most of these seem like they would come across rather off putting. Perhaps the example question would work if in the right context but they mostly given as bullet list without any real context.

Overall I did not get much from reading this book and I have wished that I got it from the library instead of buying it new. I plan on getting rid of it.

[Nancy Messina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I truly enjoyed reading this book. I think it would make a great reference resource for a manager who wants to become a leader. The structure made sense and the questions posed were really interesting. I loved the section about performance reviews. This is always a little awkward so having ways to make it more a collaborative experience makes so much sense to me. I have tried things on the past but I am excited to see how these questions can make the experience better.

[Steve Franklin · Rating 2 out of 5]

While the concept was good, and I got a few good things from this book, overall it was too long for what I got out of it. Overall it was too repetitive. I felt like the authors were trying to impress us with how many people they interviewed, and really just used those to pad the length of the book. Want a synopsis? You will have some success in your role as a leader if you're curious, ask questions, and don't assume you know everything.

[Paulo Peres · Rating 5 out of 5]

- "Quando nós perguntamos aos outros de uma maneira que sinaliza que somos parceiros em um intencional processo de descoberta para enriquecer o grupo todo, nós construímos fortes relacionamentos."  

- "Questões encorajam reflexão e o aprendizado"

- "Enquadrar questões é uma demonstração de interesse no ponto de vista da pessoa e é útil para criar relações fortes."

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book really made me think through how I ask questions. I saw how I would use leading questions “do you think so and so is underperforming?” Versus an open ended question, “what do you think of so and so’s performance?” Reframing questions has become a powerful way for me to better understand a problem and develop more effective solutions.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Half the book was a sales pitch for why you should read the book and use questions. It would like to see more examples of questions in use, when to choose which ones, and what they look like in action. With just finishing the 3rd edition of Crucial Conversations, I had higher expectations of this one, even if a different author. I still got nuggets of wisdom, but not as much as I had hoped.

[Clay · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book repeats itself in every chapter, while offering no true framework for how to lead with questions. Moreso, the author pulls from a catalogue of megacorp executives (save for a mayor and a principal, and I believe one pastor). Do not buy.

[Nyki Whealton · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good book suggested by my professors. We had Marquardt as a guest speaker during class. I do feel as though it was a bit repetitive. What he suggests is the modern day coaching model of leadership.

[Haur Bin Chua · Rating 1 out of 5]

As a leader, one of the underrated skills is the ability to ask the right questions. When asked right, questions can unleash creativity, nudge teams in the right direction, build trust and empowerment as well as foster the spirit of learning.

What’s missing in this book is how questions need then be followed up with actions and decisions. Sometimes too many questions hamper rather than help development.

While it’s important to be asking the right questions, this book could be summarized into a long-ish article.

[Brian Leslie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I always appreciate when books that are trying to help you provide an actual plan for how to improve. Leading with Questions does that and more. It breaks down all of the questions you might ask and explains why and when they are applicable.

[Sid · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good read but specific to certain set of audience and needs a lot of personal thinking to understand and adopt to the approach mentioned in the book. Yet a good learn

[Lisa Snyder · Rating 1 out of 5]

Although there are some good ideas, and I am using some information from the first few chapters the book drags on.

[Rahul Gupta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book but it became repetitive after page ~150. After the 200 page mark I had had enough and felt that I got what I needed from the book.

[Bant · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's fine. Just a bit vague. It's basically the same thing over and over. This could have been like a Forbes article. It didn't need to be a book.

[Chandan]

Simple and true in its magic if implemented everyday