Clarke-Epstein C. - 78 Important Questions Every Leader Should Ask and Answer (2002)(en)

QUESTION S LEADER S NEE D T O ANSWER 171

WHAT DID YOU LEARN?

Early on, I advanced the theory that great leaders don’t have all the answers, but they have great questions; and now, as promised in the beginning of this chapter, I’ve put you in the position of having to provide answers. How did it feel?

Could you tell that these are not your usual let’s-go-ask-the-boss kind of questions? I hope so. Managers understand that they need to be factual, organizational, and functional resources for the people on their teams. Leaders know that their questions and answers must go beyond that—into areas of philosophy, ethics, and feelings.

All the answers we ever get

are responses to questions.

—Neil Postman, Chair, Department

of Culture and Communications,

New York University

Leaders are skillful at asking the right questions, at the right time, of the right people. Leaders are equally skilled at giving the right answers, to the right question, in the right context. They think about the questions that need to be asked, learn from the answers, and take action appropriately.

They know when to ask, when to answer, and when to listen. They really mean it when they say, “Don’t worry, there’s no such thing as a stupid question.” They have the courage to respond with an “I don’t know” when they don’t know. They’re comfortable answering a question with silence.

In Confessions of an Accidental Businessman, James Autry wrote, “This has to do with the transition from manager to leader being fundamentally a leap from the external to the internal, from the life

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outside to the inner life, from a preoccupation with doing to the acceptance of being as the defining characteristic of leadership.” I couldn’t agree more!

CHAPTER SIX WORKSHEET

1.Which of the questions in this chapter did you find the most challenging? Why?

2.What behaviors do you want to change based on what you’ve learned in this chapter?

QUESTION S LEADER S NEE D T O ANSWER 173

3. What other questions might you need to answer?

4. How would you answer those questions?

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5.What is the one thing you want to remember most from this chapter?

OTHER NOTES

chapter 7

answers for

special situations

LET’S TAKE a look at special situations from a different perspective. How about those times when you’re asked a question and it’s your answer that’s a problem? In this chapter we’ll look at a few of these situations.

The more you practice asking questions, welcoming questions, and answering the questions that are asked of you, the easier all this questioning business becomes. But there’s always the question that throws you off your game, the question you don’t know how to answer, or the question you just don’t want to answer. What happens then? Reading this

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chapter will give you some ideas, though not all the ideas—just enough to help you to your own solutions.

During an interview on the Today show, Sir Ian McKellen was asked about the lessons he learned from doing years of Shakespeare. He replied simply, “Never underestimate the script.” That’s a good lesson for leaders, too. Thinking about how you’d deal with the sit-

Questions are never indis-

creet. Answers sometimes are.

—Oscar Wilde, Irish writer

uations described in this chapter and how scripting an answer could work for you (even if your script doesn’t quite reach the level of Shakespeare) will boost your confidence as a leader who can answer just about any question.

ANSWER S FO R SPECIA L SITUATIONS 177

DURING A BUSINESS CRISIS

67. What’s happening?

The response to this question is less about completeness than it is about frequency. In the midst of a crisis, leaders can have an unimaginable list of people competing for their time and attention. It appears that the people on their teams often go to the bottom of the list. I think this is a mistake. Your people will be patient and understanding because you have, of course, been straight with them before this situation arose, but they need something to be patient and understanding about.

Don’t fall into the trap of thinking you should wait until you’ve gotten everything figured out or have a complete picture before talking to your team. Frequent communication in settings where they can physically see you is best. Even when there is nothing new to say, visibility always works in your favor.

Take a deep breath before you talk. Calm yourself. Make good eye contact. Let your feelings show appropriately. Finish by promising an update and KEEP YOUR PROMISE.

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68. What’s going to happen next?

If you ignore the advice from the last question, you probably won’t have to face this question. Not what I’d recommend, however. When people ask What is coming next?, it is good news. This question means they can see a little beyond the immediate, and it is usually an indication that you’ve been doing a good job of answering the What’s happening? question.

At any given time during a crisis, you may or may not have an answer to this question. That’s okay. Just continue to tell what you know and what you can tell when you can tell it. Make the time of your next update common public knowledge and keep it, even if you have nothing new to add. Be visible. When you see some future possibilities that you can share, do so. Label them as speculation or good bets or whatever term actually describes their probability. If they become more probable, announce that. If they fade as possibilities, announce that.

Three things a leader can do wrong during a crisis are to disappear, to start and then stop communications, and to make promises in the heat of the moment that they can’t keep later. Practice not doing these three things when there isn’t a crisis, and you’ll do okay when there is.

ANSWER S FO R SPECIA L SITUATIONS 179

69. What’s going to happen to me?

This is a question that is asked but not vocalized, so you may have to bring it up yourself. In any crisis people look closest to home first. That’s nothing to be ashamed of—it comes from the survival instinct in all of us. But sometimes, when we realized we’ve stopped thinking about the big picture and have focused on our own situation, we feel guilty.

As a leader you need to remember that people are thinking about the effect on their own lives even though that might not be what they’re saying. You might have to say it for them. You might have to bring up a question you know you can’t answer. How’s that for walking out on a limb voluntarily?

The same issues we explored for the last two answers apply here. Just because you don’t know the complete answer doesn’t mean you can give an answer and promise more information as it becomes available. Remember to keep your promises, however, or none of the good will you had before the crisis will last.

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70. Am I going to have a job next month?

Questions during a crisis are less about facts and more about emotions. This question comes straight from the gut, not the head. Most leaders I’ve watched acted as if it were just the opposite. When they ignore the emotions and speak only to the facts, they lose their team or their audience. That’s why Yes is such a tempting answer for a leader and why leaders are tempted to use it when it doesn’t apply. Nowhere is that more obvious than when it comes to job security. As much as you’d like to be able to answer this question with a yes, don’t do it unless you are 100 percent certain.

Of course, not much in today’s world is 100 percent certain, so your answer to this question is apt to be closer to I don’t know, and there are some comments about that answer in the next chapter. But you’re in front of your team right now and don’t have time to page through a book to find a formula for success. (Don’t bother looking for one. In this kind of situation, formulas don’t exist.) Think of it this way. What would you want to hear in this situation? A forthright

I don’t know or a lot of fancy words and phrases used to obscure the fact that what is being delivered is no answer at all?

Maybe there is a formula after all. Don’t ignore the emotions you’re dealing with. Tell the truth, sincerely and frequently. Update as promised in clear and simple language. Don’t make promises you can’t keep. Keep the promises you do make, and stay visible. Don’t shy away from the emotions; learn to deal with them. You’ll be a better leader for it.