Questions > Answers

When I first started being “the boss” I put a lot of pressure on myself to have all the answers. That was the key to helping my employees right? Having the answers to their questions.

It feels good to have the answer. We get instant gratification. People see us as the expert. We feel useful. But simply handing out answers puts the outcome before the journey, and the journey is where the magic is.

Our real value as leaders isn’t to have the answer but to ask the questions that allow people to discover the answers for themselves.

This requires us to set our ego aside in the name of helping other people and ultimately strengthening our organization, projects, and ideas. (At the end of the day this makes us stronger too, although it’s less obvious in the moment).

This approach means less instant gratification. We don’t get to jump in, save the day, and feel like a hero for having the best solution.

We might even feel stressed because we can see a great answer and it takes everything we have to resist the urge to simply blurt it out and instead ask a thoughtful question.

The person you help might not even realize that the questions you asked helped guide them. They might think they came up with the solution all on their own.

How great is that?!

To set aside your own need for gratification to empower someone else. Do that enough times and you’ll build a capable team. The goals you have that feel impossible will begin to take shape

Sometimes you'll have to jump in to avert disaster but if you’re doing this over and over again it might be useful to ask yourself why.

So I’m learning to ask better questions and see my role less as the person who has to have all the answers, and more as the person who asks the right questions.