Dear SafetyXChange Members:

How does a leader master the art of asking questions? He or she must acquire two abilities. Let's look at each one.

1. The Capacity to Ask the Right Questions

The first ability a leader must acquire is an understanding of what questions to ask. There's no list of questions you can memorize. The secret is finding the appropriate question for each situation. Although the substance will vary according to the situation, questions should be framed to fulfill certain defined purposes:

Problem Identification. If you can't clearly define the problem, you can't make effective decisions. Nothing is more frustrating or demoralizing than to expend lots of energy and effort only to discover that you've been working on the wrong problem all along. Thus, the first and most important category of questions is those designed to gain an understanding of the problem at hand: How is the problem being framed and interpreted? Who has a different take on the problem and why? What is the scope of the problem? Are the consequences of appropriate and inappropriate action understood?

Information Gathering. The second category of questions focuses on gathering the information you need to solve the problem. At this point, your questions must elicit what you (and others) know and don't know. Do you know what to ask for and who to ask? Do you have the relationships necessary to secure the information you need?

Ascertaining Commitment. The third category of questions focuses on an understanding of the commitment you need from others to implement the solution. Whose buy-in is necessary and what level of commitment is required? Who should be included, to what degree and at what stage in the process? Who wants to be involved and who has other priorities?

Goal Alignment. The next set of questions should help you explore issues around goal alignment and determine the possible points for agreement and conflict in the implementation of the decision. How will this decision be impacted by organizational silos? What are the office politics that might impact implementation? Who will be threatened by the decision?

Time Assessment. The fifth category of questions should help you assess how critical a factor time is in each situation. Do you have an hour, a day or a month? What is the consequence of taking too much time? Of deciding too quickly? What will people not be doing if they are participating in your meetings?

Step 2: The Capacity to Ask Questions the Right Way

The second part of question-asking mastery is the skill to ask your questions the right way. Asking the right questions at the right time doesn't help if your manner of asking is confrontational or intimidating. You must come across as a coach, not a coercer. To become an effective coach, you must:

• Remember that you're trying to help the person being coached to understand the situation, not fix it for them;
• Make sure you're not just trying to make yourself look good. Good coaches never forget the goal is for the team (the organization) to win, not to be the star player;
• Make sure you're not trying to make the person being coached understand your perception of the problem. Your job is to ask the questions; their job is to come up with the answers;
• Be open to questioning of your own assumptions and beliefs; and
• Recognize when a question is not a question but advice or suggestion disguised as a question. Ask clarifying, not leading questions.

Conclusion

Mastering the highly under-utilized leadership skill of questioning will not only help you become more effective at managing and developing others, it will contribute to improved problem-solving, better decision-making and increased capacity for learning throughout your organization - all of which add to increased organizational agility.

Wishing you career success,
Lauryn Franzoni
ExecuNet, www.execunet.com

THE STATE OF THE MANAGEMENT JOB MARKET

More Jobs, Higher Salaries

By Glenn Demby

Lauryn's firm, ExecuNet, publishes an Annual Executive Job Market Intelligence Report for its members. The 2007 version came out the other day and Lauryn was nice enough to send me a copy. If you're thinking about testing the job market, you'll find the report very encouraging. ExecuNet surveyed 2,149 executives and 378 search firms and corporate recruiters. Highlights:

• Search firms are forecasting a whopping 27% increase in executive search assignments in 2007;
• The industries expected to generate the highest number of executive-level jobs include High-tech, Healthcare, Business Services, Pharmaceuticals/Biotech and Financial Services/Banking;
• More companies are offering compensation incentives. For example, stock options are now being included in 47% of all new executive pay packages--up from 36% a year ago;
• Employed executives expect a 17.5% increase in compensation when they land their next job;
• Nearly one in two executives (48%) is dissatisfied with his or her current job, and of those who are unhappy, 52% are preparing to leave within the year;
• Limited opportunity for advancement and lack of personal growth are the most common reasons for executive job dissatisfaction;
• Just 21% of executives ages 41 to 50 feel they have been subjected to age bias in a job search; by contrast, 63% of executives ages 51-60 and 89% (!) of executives over age 60 say they've suffered age discrimination; and
• Search firms believe age isn't a significant factor in a job search until a candidate reaches age 55.

If you want more information on these and other trends, including the fastest growing executive occupations and most sought after skills, check out the ExecuNet website.

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