When someone on our team brings us as leader a question, often the best response is “What do you think?” Some people think that asking questions shows weakness. Some leaders do not have the ability to say “I don’t know.” Or they might think that the leader is expected to always know best. Even when we do know, asking a question might be the better choice.

Some of the advantages of asking questions:

• Values the thoughts and input of those around us.
• Builds the individual.
• Builds the team.
• Coaching opportunity.
• Demonstrates humility.
• Helps others develop their thought process.
• Gets buy-in.
• Multiple perspectives give better results.
• Provides an opportunity to evaluate potential.

When we are quick to give answers we might:

• Disempower those around us.
• Elevate ourselves over the team.
• Build dependency.
• Lead to possible tunnel vision.
• Not get the best answer.
• Miss great opportunities to help others grow.

Now this doesn’t mean we never give answers, or that we should simply accept the answers that our people give us. As leaders we are responsible for the organization making good decisions, so we may need to guide people through a thought process or we may need to overrule the input of others if we are convinced that we have the better solution. But the opportunity to build the organization for the long-term is often just as or even more important than an immediate answer.

What do you see as the benefits of asking questions? Or the risks of providing quick answers? Are you comfortable not being the “guru on the mountaintop”?