Page 121 - Getting to the Heart of High Performance

construction of action plans. The conversation energizes

and inspires.

You’re free to open a conversation any way you wish. It’s

your choice. But what you talk about and how you talk
about it make a difference. You can concentrate on what’s
working or not working, what has been done right or
where things went wrong. Either way, you immediately
structure the other person’s way of looking at the situa-

tion. It may not seem like a big deal. After all, it’s such a
simple shift in phrasing. But your approach profoundly
affects the entire tone and direction of the exchange.

Questions give you a small moment of influence. They let
you direct others’ thoughts by focusing their attention
and having them look through a mental frame of your
choosing. Positive guiding questions seduce people to

look at life through a favorable lens. You can use these
questions as powerful levers for moving others into a
positive mindset.

The Power of Positive Guiding Questions 105