Years ago I heard leadership coach and author Bob Biehl say that he loves to collect questions. That thought intrigued me. So since that time I’ve been a student and collector of questions.
Lou Holtz once said, “I never learn anything talking. I only learn things when I ask questions.” Questions challenge us to see things from a different perspective and guide us to breakthrough behaviors. You can be stuck and discouraged in one moment but with the aid of the right question, an instant later you’re flooded with fresh ideas and motivation.
Here are 12 of my favorite questions. Chew on a few of these today and see what new insights or direction you might discover.
- What would a great leader do in this situation? (Bill Hybels, Pastor Willowcreek Community Church)
- What do I believe is impossible to do in my field, but if it could be done, will fundamentally change my business? (Joel Barker, author of Paradigms)
- What is the wise thing to do? (Andy Stanley, Pastor Northpoint Church)
- What is the single best measurable indicator that I am making progress toward my dream? Bob Biehl
- What are the “elephants” in my schedule? (Pareto said, “If you’re Noah, and your ark is about to sink, look for the elephants first.”) (Don’t know who asked this one but I like it)
- How can we become the company that would put us out of business? (Danny Meyer, CEO of Union Square Hospitality Group)
- What counts that we are not counting? (Chip Conley, head of global hospitality for Airbnb)
- What should we stop doing? (Peter Drucker, management expert and author)
- What are the gaps in my knowledge and experience? (Charles Handy, author and management expert)
- If we got kicked out and the board brought in a new CEO, what would he do? (Andy Grove, former CEO of Intel )
- What advice would you give you if you were in your situation? (Came as a result of me having a pity party about my own situation several years ago)
- What questions do you have that you’d like answers to? (From Action Learning Method)
Here’s one more bonus question, undoubtedly the most important question you can answer, “Who do you say I am? (Jesus, Mark 8:29)
What great question do you like to wrestle with?
“How are my personal needs interfering with our team progress?”
A prayerful question for me to ponder with Jesus:
“Lord, help me to see what I’m not seeing?
Lord, help me to hear what I’m not hearing?”