Leaders create opportunities for people to ask questions, but also pose questions to start conversations. This helps Leaders provide the information needed for clarity. Here’s Peter with more.
It’s another lively session of the Prime Minister’s questions, live from the House of Commons in London where the Prime Minister undergoes a weekly interrogation from MPs and the opposition under the guardianship of this man here, who’s the speaker. Let’s just pause it. It’s just getting a little bit lively.
Well, as leaders, we are expected to answer questions and to have the answers. I’m reminded of a time in a previous job where I set up a monthly question time session in which team members would come and put questions on a board on post it notes, and I would try and answer them. Now my motivation for that was positive. I wanted to be transparent. I wanted to provide clarity, if I could. But I think I’d reflect now that every time I tried to answer a question, then that was me doing more talking. Every time I answered, try to answer a question, I was reinforcing this sense that leaders have the answers and maybe followers ask the questions.
So our Nudge to you this week is: turn the conversation around. By all means, let’s create the opportunities for people to ask questions. But we should be asking questions ourselves, starting for example, with maybe what’s the question that I should be asking you to help you to do your job.
I’m Peter Russian. This is your Leadership Nudge. Let’s go back to the House of Commons and see how loud he gets now . . .
