Good Leaders Ask Great Questions

A #1 New York Times bestselling author and leadership expert answers questions from his readers about what it takes to be in charge and make a difference. John Maxwell, America's #1 leadership authority, has mastered the art of asking questions, using them to learn and grow, connect with people, challenge himself, improve his team, and develop better ideas. Questions have literally changed Maxwell's life. In GOOD LEADERS ASK GREAT QUESTIONS, he shows how they can change yours, teaching why questions are so important, what questions you should ask yourself as a leader, and what questions you should be asking your team. Maxwell also opened the floodgates and invited people from around the world to ask him any leadership question. He answers seventy of them--the best of the best--including . . . What are the top skills required to lead people through difficult times? How do I get started in leadership? How do I motivate an unmotivated person? How can I succeed working under poor leadership? When is the right time for a successful leader to move on to a new position? How do you move people into your inner circle? No matter whether you are a seasoned leader at the top of your game or a newcomer wanting to take the first steps into leadership, this book will change the way you look at questions and improve your leadership life.

Many leaders are unaware of the amazing power of questions. Our conversations may be full of requests and demands, but all too often we are not asking for honest and informative answers, and we don’t know how to listen effectively to responses. When leaders start encouraging questions from their teams, however, they begin to see amazing results. Knowing the right questions to ask—and the right way to listen—will give any leader the skills to perform well in any situation, effectively communicate a vision to the team, and achieve lasting success across the organization. Thoroughly revised and updated, Leading with Questions will help you encourage participation and teamwork, foster outside-the-box thinking, empower others, build relationships with customers, solve problems, and more. Michael Marquardt reveals how to determine which questions will lead to solutions to even the most challenging issues. He outlines specific techniques of active listening and follow-up, and helps you understand how questions can improve the way you work with individuals, teams, and organizations. This new edition of Leading with Questions draws on interviews with thirty leaders, including eight whose stories are new to this edition. These interviews tell stories from a range of countries, including Singapore, Guyana, Korea, and Switzerland, and feature case studies from prominent firms such as DuPont, Alcoa, Novartis, and Cargill. A new chapter on problem-solving will help you apply questions to your toughest situations as a leader, and a new “Questions for Reflection” section at the end of each chapter will help you bring Marquardt’s message into all of your work as a leader. Now more than ever, Leading with Questions is the definitive guide for becoming a stronger leader by identifying—and asking—the right questions.

Harvard Business School professor and business leader Robert Kaplan presents a process for asking the big questions that will enable you to diagnose problems, change course if necessary, and advance your career.

Great answers start with great questions. People remember what they discover for themselves far more than what others tell them. A great question can mean the difference between exchanging information and discovering deeper meaning. In How to Ask Great Questions, you’ll learn when and how to ask effective questions and how to promote follow-up discussions that will lead from thoughtful conversations to life application. Ideal for small-group leaders, Sunday school teachers, and anyone who regularly leads group discussions or committee meetings. How to Ask Great Questions will equip you to build relationships between group members help people unpack a passage of Scripture or another book draw out opinions, feelings, and assumptions deepen discussions with intentional focus guide people in applying the Bible to their lives facilitate problem-solving and decision-making in group settings Transform a gathering of acquaintances into a community of friends.

What hidden skill links successful people in all walks of life? The answer is surprisingly simple: they know how to ask the right questions at the right time. Questions help us break down barriers, discover secrets, solve puzzles, and imagine new ways of doing things. The right question can provide for us not only the answer we need right then but also the ones we’ll need tomorrow. Emmy award–winning journalist and media expert Frank Sesno wants to teach you how to question others in a methodical, intentional way so that you can find the same success that others have found by mastering this simple skill. In Ask More, you will learn: How the Gates Foundation used strategic questions to plan its battle against malaria How turnaround expert Steve Miller uses diagnostic questions to get to the heart of a company's problems How creative questions animated a couple of techie dreamers to brainstorm Uber How journalist Anderson Cooper uses confrontational questions to hold people accountable Throughout Ask More, you’ll explore all different types of inquiries--from questions that cement relationships, to those that will help you plan for the future. By the end, you’ll know what to ask and when, what you should listen for, and what you can expect as the outcome.

John T. Chain, Jr., rose from a second lieutenant to four-star general and led our national missile defense program. Mike Harper led ConAgra Foods from $636 million to $20 billion in 20 years and increased its stocks value 150 times over. Ask Gary Cohen what these remarkable leaders have in common and his answer will be straightforward: They use questions to generate fresh ideas, inspire committed action, and build an army of forward-thinking leaders. In Just Ask Leadership, Cohen steers you away from the all-too-common idea that if you don’t assert yourself with strong statements, you will not be respected. On the contrary, statistics prove that 95 percent of employees prefer to be asked questions rather than be told what to do. Involving employees and colleagues in decision making processes builds an environment rich with energy, excitement, and innovative problem solving. Just Ask Leadership outlines not only specific questions to ask in certain contexts, but also how to implement question-based leadership as a whole. Learn how to Spend more time on long-term goals—and less on short-term crises Build a culture of accountability Create unity and trust throughout your workforce Steer decision making to the most appropriate parties Develop rapport while instilling respect When you ask questions, you show respect —and you are respected in turn. It is that simple. A combination of Cohen’s proven expertise and interviews with nearly 100 highly effective leaders, Just Ask Leadership explains how to harness the power of questions to make your organization more competitive, more profitable, and a better place to work.

Ask the Right Questions in the Right Ways...And Get the Answers You Need to Succeed! Discover the core questions that every manager needs to master...how to avoid the mistakes business questioners make most often...ten simple rules for asking every question more effectively. Learn how to ask tough questions and take control of tough situations...use questions to promote innovation, drive change, identify hidden problems, and get failing projects back on track. Ask better questions, get better answers, achieve better results! “Required reading for every leader who wishes to see his or herorganization flourish and career progress.” Garry A. Neil, MD, Corporate Vice President, Johnson & Johnson “Asking, listening, understanding the real meaning of the answers, and taking actions based on facts are really the essence of managing. This book has helped me in connecting the dots in my understanding (and lack thereof) of why things really did not work the way I expected them to.” Pradip Banerjee, PhD, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Xybion; retired partner, Accenture “The framework and techniques provide outstanding ideas for executives to both gain better information and develop the analytical skills of their teams.” Terry Hisey, Vice Chairman and US Life Sciences Leader, Deloitte We’ve all met the corporate inquisitor: the individual whose questions seem primarily intended to terrify the victim. The right goal is to solve the problem--and to build a more effective, collaborative organization where everyone learns from experience, and nobody’s too intimidated to tell the truth. That means asking the right questions in the right ways. This book will teach you how to do precisely that. Terry J. Fadem shows how to choose the right questions and avoid questions that guarantee obvious, useless answers...how to help people give you the information you need...how to use body language to ask questions more effectively...how to ask the innovative or neglected questions that uncover real issues and solutions. You’ll learn how to adopt the attributes of a good questioner...set a goal for every question...use your personal style more effectively...ask tough questions, elicit dissent, react to surprises, overcome evasions, and more. Becoming a better questioner may be the most powerful thing you can do right now to improve your managerial effectiveness--and this book gives you all the insights, tools, and techniques you’ll need to get there. Evaluate your current “questioning” skills... ...then systematically improve them Choose better questions... ...and ask them the right way Ask tough questions more effectively Get at the truth, uncover the real problem, and solve it Master the crucial nonverbal aspects of asking questions Finding your best style and the right body language