Page 124 - Becoming a Successful Manager

Mastering the Art of Asking Questions 115

Discovery Lesson 2

Listen to other people’s questions. Try to fi gure out what types of ques-
tions they are asking and see if they are getting the intended results.

Once you’ve developed the skill of asking the right questions
in the right ways, you’ll be surprised by how much you will learn
and grow professionally—and personally. When you practice and
hone these questioning skills, you become an accomplished con-
versationalist, lauded in a variety of situations. When you dem-
onstrate interest in others, they will open up to you. When you
demonstrate that you value people’s ideas, they will share them
with you. And when your staff members share their ideas, you
have more data with which to make your management decisions.
These are basic techniques that you can modify once you have
mastered them. Imprint your own style, of course, but use them,
and see what happens.

Questions to Consider

• What do I need to know about my employees and how should I
ask the questions?

• How can I better align my questions with what I need to know?

• When I am asking questions, how can I convey a positive
intent?