The Art of Asking Questions

Members Click Here for Additional Tools

Get Instant Access to 200+ Cheat Sheets, Videos, and Other Immediately Usable Tools for Busy Managers – Try Out a Wily Manager Membership Today!

Below we talk about the art of asking questions, and about how this can be a powerful managerial tool.  Specifically, we address:

  • The power of asking great questions
  • What are empowering questions
  • How to ask great questions
  • Responding to questions with “positive understanding”

The Power of Questions

The art of asking questions well is a powerful tool for managers and leaders of organizations.  By effectively using questions, managers can realize a number of benefits:

  • Facilitation of individual, team, and organizational learning.
  • Enhanced accountability and clearer responsibility
  • Improved innovation and problem solving
  • Movement of people from dependence to independence.

Using Empowering Questions

It is important to understand the difference between disempowering and empowering questions, and to maximize the use of empowering questions.

Disempowering Questions threaten self-esteem and thereby cause people to get mired in their problems.

“Why are you behind schedule?”

“What’s the problem with this project?”

Empowering Questions build positive attitudes and self esteem.  They get people to think and allow them to discover their own answers, thus developing self-responsibility and transference of ownership for the results.

“How do you feel about the project thus far?”

“How would you describe the way you want this project to turn out?”

“Which of these objectives do you think is the most important to accomplish?”

“What do you think is the logical first step?”

How To Use The Art of Asking Questions as a Powerful Leadership Tool

There are three immediate things leaders can do to tap into the power of the art of asking questions:

  1. Use Confirming/Clarifying Questions:  Listen and look for themes, key issues, and feelings.
  2. Focus on Empowering Questions:  Focus on the gateway to success or deeper understanding.
  3. Use Action Questions:  Moves toward a course of action or plan of attack.
  • “What if you/we were to try …”
  • “Based on your experience, what do you suggest we do next?”

Responding with Questions of Positive Understanding

When using the art of asking questions to respond to people, focus your questions on the positive aspects of the others’ statements:

Others’ Statement: Positive Understanding Questions:
I’d like to try that but … I’m not sure that the others will go for it.
  • What can I do to help you give it a try?
  • How can we overcome others’ resistance?
  • How soon can we try?
Are you kidding, this is not a pragmatic approach!  That is not even close to how things really work in my department.
  • How do things work in your department?
  • Tell me more about it.

3 Things to Remember About the Art of Asking Questions

  1. This is not as easy as it sounds.  You’ll have to make a conscious effort to move to asking questions rather than telling people the way it is.
  2. Use Empowering Questions.  There’s more to it than simply using Open Ended Questions.
  3. Asking rather than telling, questions rather than answers, is a key leadership skill.

Watch the ‘3-Minute Crash Course’ about The Art of Asking Questions (CLICK THE ARROW TO START THE VIDEO):

Looking for the Full-Length Podcast/Video? …

Get Instant Access to 200+ Cheat Sheets, Videos, and Other Immediately Usable Tools for Busy Managers – Try Out a Wily Manager Membership Today!

The Art of Asking Questions

Join Jed & Bob as they discuss the power of asking great questions for individual leaders.  They also talk about how managers can ask better questions, and use “empowering questions” to their advantage.

Watch the ‘Leading With Questions’ Video (15 mins 00 sec):


Download ‘The Art of Asking Questions’ Cheat Sheet, Video, Audio, and Slides

The Art of Asking Good Questions

The art of asking good questions is a key leadership tool that has become more and more difficult to find in use.  Join Jed & Bob this week, as they discuss why and how good questions can be effectively used as leadership tool.

Monday’s Tip: Use empowering questions. Empowering questions move people to positive action rather than disempowering questions that seek to assign blame or retribution.

Tuesday’s Tip: Realize that asking questions takes time. While it may be faster to simply tell people the way it is, using questions to guide them to your way of thinking produces a much higher degree of commitment.

Wednesday’s Tip: Use confirming and clarifying questions. Much can be learned by using probing questions to learn more about a situation, or to guide people to consider things they might otherwise not have.

Thursday’s Tip: Use Positive Understanding. When someone throws out an objection, use a question that focuses on the positive part of their statement.  For example, if someone tells you they’d like to do something but that it won’t work, ask them a question about how and why they’d like to try it.

Friday’s Tip: Use action questions. “How soon can be get started?”  “What can we do about that?” are both questions that move people to action.  Use such questions to get things moving with people.

 

Weasels in the Workplace

There are lots of colloquialisms and metaphors used in business today that are “reaching” to say the least.  Sports analogies are very tired, and if I hear one more person talk to me about “low-hanging fruit”, there will be a Bob-shaped hole in the nearest door.

However the word, “weasel” is perfect for the type of behavior it describes in the workplace.  To that end, I’ve put together a list of the similarities between a weasel found in nature, and the weasel found in the workplace:

  • A weasel is a rodent.  As such, they are a nuisance that needs to be weeded out and destroyed.
  • When a weasel is threatened it becomes extremely aggressive, and potentially dangerous.
  • They are small (in this case of the workplace weasel small-minded), but active predators.
  • According to Wikipedia, weasels in nature have a reputation for cleverness and guile… not unlike the workplace weasel.
  • Weasels are considered vermin because they stock poultry and rabbits used for commercial purposes.  The workplace weasel also undermines commerce – usually by more insidious means than stocking poultry.
  • Weasels exist on all continents except Antarctica and Australia.  If there are any Wily Manager followers at the research station at Antarctica, I’d love to know if there are any workplace weasels.  I lived in Australia for a while, and while they may not have weasels, they have lots of other rodent vermin, which begs the question, “what do the Aussies call their workplace weasels?  Actually, I was once told that the Australian equivalent of the office-weasel was called a Kiwi, but after I visited New Zealand, I had to dismiss that as sour grapes on the part of my Aussie-informant.
  • A group of weasels can be called a boogle, gang, pack, sneak, or confusion.  The workplace weasel, when s/he finds a support group, could also be called “sneak” or “confusion” (but I also like boogle).

All these similarities got me to questioning whether weasel remedies would be similar between the natural and workplace varieties.  Here, the parallels are a little more illusive, yet still instructive.  For example, you can set traps for weasels.  In nature, the bait is usually something to eat.  With workplace weasels, it might be a rumored promotion, but sometimes they might respond to good catering.

Suddenly, the song “Pop Goes the Weasel” makes so much more sense to me now.


 

Dealing with Inappropriate Behavior in the Workplace

Sometimes you find people in your workplace that cannot be better described as anything but a weasel.  This week join Jed & Bob and they discuss how to identify and positively deal with weasels at work.

Monday’s Tip: Avoid weasels where possible. Don’t share your table at lunch with someone known to engage in inappropriate behavior.  If you can limit your exposure – you should.

Tuesday’s Tip: Focus on Facts. The only thing worse that weasel behavior, is an emotional response to it.  Channel your inner “Mr. Spock” and do not respond emotionally.

Wednesday’s Tip: Draw attention to inappropriate behavior. Most weasels don’t want to be exposed as such.  Tell them directly that you’ve noted their behavior, that you find it inappropriate, and that you’d like it to stop.

Thursday’s Tip: Don’t lower yourself to their level. Fighting weasel behavior with equally poor behavior makes for a great TV sitcom, but it doesn’t work, and is degrading to you in real life.  Rise above the poor behavior and act professionally.

Friday’s Tip: Refocus the weasel on the larger team or purpose. Most weasels are insecure and selfish.  Direct their attention to the larger team or greater goal, and you can minimize some of their poor behavior.

 

Inappropriate Behavior in the Workplace: Dealing with Weasels

Members Click Here for Additional Tools

Get Instant Access to 200+ Cheat Sheets, Videos, and Other Immediately Usable Tools for Busy Managers – Try Out a Wily Manager Membership Today!

Below we talk about different types of inappropriate behavior in the workplace, the weasels you find engaging in such behavior, and what you can do to deal with them.

Types of Inappropriate Behavior in the Workplace discussed:

  • The Backstabbing Weasel
  • The Slacker Weasel
  • The Credit-taking Weasel
  • The Lying Weasel
  • Superstar Weasels
  • Boss Weasels

What is a weasel?  (Or Who engages in Inappropriate Behavior in the Workplace?)

  • In Nature: A rodent or vermin predisposed to aggressive and undesirable behavior, but also known for its cleverness and guile.
  • In the Workplace: A rodent or vermin predisposed to aggressive and undesirable behavior, but also known for its cleverness and guile.

General rules for dealing with Inappropriate Behavior in the Workplace

  • Anticipate weasel-behavior.  You know these people – who can you expect to act like a weasel, and under what circumstances?
  • Insulate yourself from inappropriate behavior in the workplace.  If you know a coworker has a high propensity to act like a weasel, then find ways to avoid that person.  Pick a different table to eat your lunch at.
  • Bring inappropriate behavior in the workplace into the open.  Weasels don’t like bright light, so by drawing attention to their bad behavior, you may see a decrease in it.
  • Park emotions – focus on facts.  You do not need to play along with inappropriate behavior in the workplace.  The best remedy is to have good information and facts at your disposal, and to avoid becoming emotional in response to inappropriate behavior in the workplace.
  • Never lower yourself to “weasel-ness”.  Your worst possible response is to retaliate with similarly poor behavior.  You will be much better served in the longer term by taking the high road.

Specific Remedies to Inappropriate Behavior in the Workplace

  • The Backstabber – Normally, a backstabber will denigrate others to you and everyone else.  When they are doing so, tell them you don’t find the behavior constructive, and challenge them to be direct with those concerned.  These weasels generally lack the courage to do so, and as such the behavior will be minimized.
  • The Slacker – Tell the slacker the impact of his/her non-performance has on the team and team members.  Do not exaggerate or be emotional, but rather be factual and calmly explain the impact
  • The Credit-taker – Ask the credit-taker about the contributions others have made to the team or the cause.  This will force them to acknowledge they are not the only person in the world.
  • The Liar – It is important not to back a lying weasel into a corner, otherwise, you might get bit.  Don’t accuse the liar of anything, but rather focus on the facts of the situation.  Use conditional language such as, “It may not have been your intent, but your comments could be construed as misleading…”
  • Superstars – Every organization loves its Superstars, but sometimes, such employees are very high maintenance.  You need to acknowledge their skill, but remind them of others’ contributions to the team, and subtly reinforce that no one is indispensible.
  • The Boss Weasel – It is particularly tricky if you have a boss that engages in inappropriate behavior in the workplace.  If you choose to confront the behavior, you may want to have a backup plan ready – such as alternative employment.

3 Things to Remember about Inappropriate Behavior in the Workplace

  1. Don’t encourage poor behavior.  Even if the behavior is not directed at you, tell people you don’t find it appropriate
  2. Don’t be emotional about any inappropriate behavior.  Focus on facts of the situation and don’t embellish the details.
  3. You only control your own behavior, so you need to focus on that.  Do not get caught responding to inappropriate behavior by acting equally as poorly.

Watch the ‘3-Minute Crash Course’ about Inappropriate Behavior in the Workplace (CLICK THE ARROW TO START THE VIDEO):

Looking for the Full-Length Podcast/Video? …

Get Instant Access to 200+ Cheat Sheets, Videos, and Other Immediately Usable Tools for Busy Managers – Try Out a Wily Manager Membership Today!

Inappropriate Behavior in the Workplace: Dealing With Workplace Weasels

Join Jed and Bob as they discuss how to deal with six different types of weasels commonly found in the workplace.  Learn how to handle The Backstabber, The Slacker, The Credit-Taker, and others.

Watch the ‘Dealing With Workplace Weasels’ Video (14 mins 56 sec):


Download the ”Inappropriate Behavior in the Workplace” Cheat Sheet, Video, Audio, and Slides

Personal Responsibility and the Fall of Society

The current silliness around the US Government’s debt ceiling is a classic case of individual members of government completely failing to take any responsibility.  For those observers convinced that it’s one party’s fault or the other, you are blinded by partisanship, and not seeing the whole situation clearly.

Perhaps the idea of political parties has passed its “best-before” date.

Originally, the British Parliament (of which many other systems of government have been based upon including the American one), was set up so that a local riding would elect a member to represent it, and then the elected members would all get together, and deal with the business at hand – such as selecting the Prime Minister and other key ministers.

This devolved into parties as people became more apathetic about the political process.  Political parties gave all elected official cover from any personal responsibility to their constituents.  The current silliness in the United States over the debt ceiling is a prime example.  Does any thinking person really believe this has anything to do with anything BUT politics?  Any American, regardless of his political stripe, should be deeply offended by what is happening in Washington right now.

There is a whole lot of politicking, and not any responsibility being taken.  American society has been living beyond its means since the end of the Second World War, and its like nobody got the memo on this until May.  Now it’s a crisis, and no one wants to act

Bad news folks – if you take two or three minutes to add up the numbers, it is indisputable that there are substantial spending cuts required, and significant tax increases needed to fix the problem.  Unfortunately, no one in Washington will take the responsibility of telling people a truth they don’t want to hear.

This is what we expect from politicians – as a society, we have completely abandon the idea of personal accountability.

By the way, this situation is not unique to the United States.  Because I have lived in a few different countries, I seek out news from my former adopted homes, and am quite aware similar silliness is occurring in Australia, Canada, and the UK.

Only when people re-engage in the political process, will anything change.  People lament it is the absence of the voter on election-day, but this is simplistic way of looking at the problem.  The Australians have mandatory voting, and still get caught in political silliness.  Only when we demand responsibility from our locally elected Members of Parliament, or Congress Members will anything change.

That is, unless the current political problem in the US doesn’t completely destroy the global economy, in which case you should look for a nice plot of land with a long growing season.


 

Who’s Got the Monkey? Delegating Responsibility

In 1974 Bill Oncken asked the question of “Who’s got the Monkey” to lament the fact that managers seem to buy more and more problems back from their people, when really they should challenge and develop their people to solve their own problems.  Join Jed and Bob as they discuss how managers can put Oncken’s advice to work.

Watch the ‘Who’s Got the Monkey? Delegating Responsibility’ Video (13 mins 34 sec):


Download the ”Delegating Responsibility” Cheat Sheet, Video, Audio, and Slides

Delegating Responsibility: The Monkey on Your Back

Members Click Here for Additional Tools

Get Instant Access to 200+ Cheat Sheets, Videos, and Other Immediately Usable Tools for Busy Managers – Try Out a Wily Manager Membership Today!

Delegating responsibility is a core function of any leadership role.  Yet many times, people at all levels of an organization will find themselves with “the Monkey” back on their desk.  Below we discuss the following aspects of delegating responsibility, and keeping it delegated:

  • Different types of “Manager Time”
  • Why Managers end up “buying-back” responsibility for certain tasks
  • How to keep responsibility delegated.

Source:

Oncken, William, and Donald L. Wass. “Management Time: Who’s Got the Monkey?”  Harvard Business Review, Nov-Dec 1974, Reprinted and updated in HBR: Nov-Dec 1999

Types of Manager Time

When delegating responsibility Managers need to ensure they fully understand the three kinds of management time:

  • Boss-imposed time – used to accomplish those things that are important to his or her boss
  • System-imposed time – used to accommodate requests from peers for active support.
  • Self-imposed time – used to do those things the manager originates or wants to do.  Self-imposed time, can further be divided:
    • Subordinate-imposed time – This is time well spent when it is coaching and leading others.  However, a manager needs to minimize the time she spends solving her subordinates problems for them.
    • Discretionary time – the time that is the manager’s own.

Managers have enough of their own boss-imposed and system imposed time without taking on more subordinate imposed time that comes about by not properly delegating responsibility.

Inadvertently De-Delegating Responsibility

  • Your direct report brings a problem to you that you know enough about to discuss, but not enough to make a decision on the spot.
  • The boss tells the direct report, she will get back to him.
  • The delegation of responsibility has just been reversed.
  • The manager ends up with more to do, while the direct report ends up with less responsibility.

Delegating Responsibility and Keeping it Delegated

  • Provide Support Without Removing Responsibility.
  • Regularly scheduled One on Ones with all direct reports
  • Use the Wily Manager Coaching Model.
  • Lead With Questions.

The Care and Feeding of Monkeys

Following Oncken and Wass’s analogy of the Monkey jumping from the subordinates back onto the boss’s, here are five rules for delegating responsibility:

  1. Monkeys should be fed or shot.  Do not allow them to linger on your back for any length of time
  2. The monkey population needs to be kept below the maximum the manager has time to feed.
  3. Monkeys should be fed by appointment only.  The responsibility for a the completion of a delegated task needs to be left with the person to whom it was delegated
  4. Monkeys should be fed face to face or by telephone.  Regular one on one meetings are very effective.
  5. Every monkey should have an assigned feeding time.  Delegated tasks need to be monitored regularly.

3 Things to Remember about Delegating Responsibility

  1. It’s not your job to do their job.
  2. Be vigilante about the Monkeys whereabouts.
  3. Helping with an employees Monkeys is best done during a one with one.

Watch the ‘3-Minute Crash Course’ about Delegating Responsibility (CLICK THE ARROW TO START THE VIDEO):

Looking for the Full-Length Podcast/Video? …

Get Instant Access to 200+ Cheat Sheets, Videos, and Other Immediately Usable Tools for Busy Managers – Try Out a Wily Manager Membership Today!

« Previous Page
Next Page »