ASKING GREAT QUESTIONS

Have you ever been around one of those people who can get anyone to talk?

You know the type. Five minutes into a conversation, and somehow people are sharing stories, laughing, opening up, and talking about things they normally wouldn’t.

What’s their secret?

Often, it isn’t that they’re great talkers. They’re great question askers.

They know how to show genuine interest in the person in front of them. They ask questions that go beyond “How are you?” or “Did you have a good week?” And, maybe most importantly, they listen intently to the answer.

That’s a leadership skill.

Good questions communicate: I see you. I’m interested in what you think. Your ideas matter.

As leaders, questions can be one of the most powerful tools we have. They help us move beyond surface-level conversations, build trust, deepen relationships, uncover strengths, and sometimes help people recognize gifts or abilities in themselves that they hadn’t seen before.

But being a good question asker isn’t just about memorizing a list of clever questions. It’s also about learning to read the person in front of you.

Before asking a question, notice:

• Do they seem excited and ready to talk, or hesitant and guarded?

• Do they need a fun, easy question to get started?

• Have I earned enough trust to ask something deeper?

• Am I asking because I genuinely want to understand, or because I already have an answer I want them to give?

And whenever possible, trade questions that can be answered with yes or no for questions that invite someone to share.

• Instead of “Did you have a good week?” ask, “What was the best part of your week?”

• Instead of “Do you like being on this team?” ask, “What do you enjoy most about being part of this team?”

• Instead of “Do you know what you want to do?” ask, “What’s something you’d love to get better at?”

Great leaders don’t have to have all the answers. Sometimes their greatest contribution is asking the question that helps someone else discover theirs.