Great Leaders Ask Great Questions

Are you a diminisher or a multiplier? Do you bring all the answers to the table, or do you help others solve problems? Do you believe you are the best voice in the room?

Our guest learned the hard way, that he was a diminisher. He would take a great idea from his staff, acknowledge it, and then suggest how to make it better. After all, that is what great leaders do; make them better.

Bob Tiede is prolific author, blogger, and trainer on how to develop leaders through questions. His book, Leading with Questions has been published in 190+ nations around the world. He has spoken with and met some of the greatest minds around this subject and he shares these stories twice a week on his free subscriber list.

He calls himself a charter member of TA…Tellers Anonymous. And most of us are. We love talking about ourselves and jumping in the arena to help. But we forget the meaningful excavation that can occur with a genuine curiosity in another. through a series of questions. The excavation can produce a rich vein of gold but not if we are filling the hole we were digging with our dirt.

One of the key takeaways from our conversation was the scorecard for a great leader. “Good leaders count their followers”, said Bob. “Great leaders measure the leaders they have developed.”

Bob began this journey in a bookstore when he picked up Leading with Questions: How Leaders Find the Right Solutions by Knowing What to Ask by Michael J. Marquardt. It was a 2x4 over his head. He was suddenly self-aware. And to seek restitution he turned the book into a training class which was successful. And then he turned it into his first book.

In my practice, we realize that most people start talking after getting an answer to a question. They have learned everything there is to know. But then they miss the answer behind the question. The answer they will never receive. The knowledge never gained. The wisdom never achieved.

Listen to a man with a teller addiction tell his stories. This is not your average ted-talk version of The Great Conversation. You will need some time. But it is worth it. Enjoy.