how to lead by asking effective questions margie … asking effective... · © david verble, twi,...

How To Lead by Asking Effective Questions

Margie Hagene

© David Verble, TWI, 2010

What barriers discourage people from thinking and taking responsibility?

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© David Verble, TWI, 2010

What barriers discourage people from thinking and taking responsibility?

�  You, I or somebody rushes in to give them the answer.

�  It is more important to provide them an effective question, than with (what we believe is) the right answer.

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© Margie Hagene, John Shook - TWI 2011 4

What happens when you tell people what to do?

© Margie Hagene, TWI, 2011

Problem Solving Culture

Advocacy Inquiry

Who owns the problem?

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Expert Resource

Helping Roles

Doctor Process Consultant

Who owns the problem?

Provides information or service. Is granted Ownership.

Diagnosis and prescribes. Tries not to own, but often ends up owning.

Coaches. Never takes over or takes away ownership.

-Edgar Schein, Helping

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Thoughts About Helping - from Edgar Schein �  “Helping is a basic relationship that moves things

forward.” �  “Successful helping depends on a degree of trust

and a degree of understanding between the helper and the person being helped.”

�  “All human relationships are about status positioning… We are trying to get ahead or stay even, and we measure all interactions by how much we have lost or gained.”

�  “The helper’s intent should always be to build status or give face to the person being helped.”

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Four Kinds of Questions

from Edgar Schein

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�  Pure Inquiry “What is happening?”

�  Diagnostic Inquiry “Why is it happening?”

�  Prompting Inquiry “What would happen if…?”

�  Coaching Process Inquiry “What is happening here, now, between us?”

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Four Kinds of Questions

from Edgar Schein

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Pure, Humble Inquiry Questions for which you do not have the answer. Questions of this sort help ownership of the problem remain with the person / employee to whom it was assigned

Diagnostic Questions Questions that helps the problem solver see cause and effect, not you see cause and effect, because you want problem ownership to stay with the person / employee to whom it was assigned

Prompting Questions **CAUTION** Questions of this sort - leading questions (your idea with a question mark at the end of it) suggest solutions, and start to take problem ownership away from the person / employee to whom it was assigned

______________________________________________________________________________

Coaching Process Questions of this sort help us understand where we are in

Questions the problem solving process, and also where we are in this conversation

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© Margie Hagene, David Verble, John Shook - TWI, 2011 10

Helpful Coaching Questions

IS Asking

¤  What’s the problem are you trying to solve?

¤  How would you describe what is happening vs. what should be happening?

¤  What have you looked at or heard?

¤  What makes you sure you have a cause/effect link?

¤  What have you thought of trying?

¤  What impact do you expect that countermeasure to have?

Is NOT Asking

▲  Is that really the problem you need to solve?

▲  Why do you think that’s a problem?

▲  Why don’t you look at ___?

▲  How is that your root cause?

▲  Have you thought about trying ___?

▲  Are you sure that’s going to work?


Practice Asking Effective Questions

Step 1

Identify the Problem Condition on Which to Focus à Take 2 minutes to write down a problem you own, a condition you are

responsible for improving. It should be a condition you are comfortable talking about in a small group in this session.

à  If it is a particularly complex problem, for the purposes of this practice session, consider scaling down your focus to one portion of the problem.

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Practice Asking Effective Questions Step 2 : Three 15 Minutes Cycles of Practice

In each of 3 cycles there will be the following roles:

Problem Owner Uses questions asked to begin to better Grasp the Situation.

Questioner Practices Humble Inquiry only to support the Problem Owner with Grasping the Situation.

Observer Records all questions asked verbatim, and keeps time for the team. Primary focus of observations will be on the Questioner.

Process

~ 4 minutes Problem Owner - Briefly describes the problem / condition for which s/he has responsibility to improve.

~10 minutes Questioner - Practices Humble Inquiry – asking questions only.

1 minute Observer - Reports what was observed and gives recorded notes (evidence) to the Questioner at the end of the round.

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What did you learn from the practice?

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Create a Mini Personal Plan

1. What is one way you will practice asking more effective questions in the next 90 days?

2. How will you know you’re improving?

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