Page 71 - Appreciative Leadership

44 Appreciative Leadership

accountability does not work. In fact, more often than not, it has the

exact opposite effect. Over and over again, the people we interviewed
said that the leaders they choose to follow are people who “walk the
talk,” and whose audio and video match. They said that people who

do not practice what they preach are not real leaders, no matter what
their job titles may be.
This is not new. People want leaders who “walk the talk.” So what

does this have to do with inquiry? The quickest and most authentic
way to engage people and build a sense of responsibility is to ask them
to share their thoughts, feelings, and ideas. Appreciative leaders use
inquiry to engage people’s hearts and minds, to draw out and listen to

their innovative ideas, and to give them confidence to trust their own
intuition and take risks for a better future.
As the following story shows, there is a direct link between inquiry,
engagement, risk taking, and positive results:

When I became dean of the college, it was losing money. Soon

after accepting the position, I announced that I would not cut
one penny from the budget. Upon hearing this pronounce-
ment, two of my advisors immediately scheduled meetings

with me. Th e first began and ended our meeting telling me
that the only viable option was to cut the budget. He presented
clear reasons why budget cuts were necessary, acknowledging
that to so do would demoralize faculty and staff but reinforc-

ing that it was the only way. He said nothing to give me hope
for the future or to make me glad to have taken the job—nor
did he ask me what I was thinking.
Fortunately, the next day’s meeting was a totally diff erent
experience. It began and ended with sincere inquiry. My second
advisor opened by saying that she was curious and wanted to
understand my decision not to cut the budget. She was calm
and didn’t say much—but she asked a lot of questions. And she