For my first twenty years in corporate life, the leader was the answer man. The positional authority leader was always the one who could solve your problem or give you direction. In essence, the leader was responsible for answering all the questions. Today leadership theory and practice according to this HBR post, has shifted to more collaboration and now the leader needs to know how to ask great questions:
“The best teachers all have at least one thing in common: they ask great questions. They ask questions that force students to move beyond simple answers, that test their reasoning, that spark curiosity, and that generate new insights. They ask questions that inspire students to think, and to think deeply.
As a business leader, you might have years of experience and the confidence of your organization behind you, so it may be tempting to think that your job is to always have the right answers. But great leaders have to inspire the same curiosity, creativity, and deeper thinking in their employees that great teachers inspire in their students – and that starts with asking the right questions. Any answer is only as good as the question asked.”
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