Today’s Tuesday Reading is from Jim Bruce, Senior Fellow and Executive Coach at MOR Associates, and Professor of Electrical Engineering, Emeritus, and CIO, Emeritus, at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA. Jim may be reached at [email protected] or via LinkedIn.
Several weeks ago, in a Tuesday Reading titled Asking Questions, I began with a quote from Dale Carnegie:
“Asking questions is a uniquely powerful tool for unlocking value in organizations. It spurs learning and the exchange of ideas, it fuels innovation and performance improvement, it builds rapport and trust among team members. And it can mitigate … risk by uncovering pitfalls and hazards.” [1]
Answering those questions is a crucial part of using that tool effectively. Without a response, the question goes unanswered, and whatever knowledge the answer might have provided is unavailable.
I hope that during these intervening weeks, you have had taken the opportunity to put this tool to use and are now asking more questions than you would have in the past. Even those questions that you have addressed only to yourself. Short of the two-year old, who constantly asks “What’s ‘dat’?” I don’t think any of us ask as many questions as would be helpful to us. If you aren’t now asking more questions than you were a few weeks ago, it’s not too late to start. Be interested. Be curious. Explore. Make it a practice.
Today, I want to focus on answering the questions that you are asked. Depending upon what’s going on in your organization, this can be scary. If you are apprehensive, whether it’s in a one-on-one or a larger group, your anxiety will show. I keep my anxiety in check by careful preparation, practice, and by following a plan.
- When asked a question, I begin by ensuring I know the person asking the question’s name. Whether you already know the name or have asked for it, you can personalize the interaction by referring to the individual by name. If you don’t know the individual’s name, you might ask for it as well as the person’s organization. I’ve found that knowing and using each other’s names personalizes the interchange, making the conversation less “stiff” and more collegial than it might otherwise be. And it can be the beginning of a new relationship or the enhancement of an existing one.
- Ensure that you and the person asking the question have the same understanding of the question. Don’t hesitate to say, “I don’t quite understand. Could you elaborate? Can you say more?” Or, you might say “Are you asking …?” and give your interpretation of the question. Or, asking about the scope and span of their query. You are trying to ensure that you and your questioner are on the same page.
Two things here are amazing to me: First, the number of people who do not understand the question they have just asked. And second, the number of people who know the answer to the question they are trying to ask, once they understand their question. All they needed to do was clarify the issue that was concerning them.
In responding, I’ve found it helpful to follow a set process:
- Carefully listen to the question. Don’t begin your answer until you have heard the entire story and understand something about the “why” of the question. And, as noted earlier, it’s O.K. to ask the person with the question about their thinking on the matter.
- If it’s not apparent, you might begin by engaging the questioner to explore any thinking already done on the issue and any thinking on the next steps. Your goal is to see how they have gone about their investigation so that you can respond to what they have done and help them move forward their thinking in addressing the initial question and strengthen their problem-solving skills.
- At this point, you likely have enough information to understand whether what they’ve asked is a question that you can address. It may require technical knowledge beyond yours as well as the questioner’s. If there is a person with more knowledge on the subject present, you might suggest that individual respond.
- There may also be serious “political” or “turf” issues. If so, you may want to disengage, perhaps pointing the person who raised the initial question to someone more appropriate. And, sometimes you have to say, “I’m sorry but I cannot help you and I don’t know who to recommend that you talk with.”
- There’s also the possibility that you know the answer to the question but are not at liberty to share. Examples are major policy changes and significant staff changes that are in the planning stage. I’ve found that in these cases the best approach is to say as little as you can. For example, you might say something like “I believe that’s under discussion and I expect something will be announced in the coming weeks.“ Say as little as you can and then stop talking about the subject.
The ability to ask and to respond to questions is a critical success factor for leaders. I hope that you will make an effort in the coming days to do both to enhance your skills.
I trust that you will have a productive and successful week. . . . jim
What has most helped you in answering questions effectively?
Last week, we asked what you value most from your MOR program experience.
- 30% said the networking and relationships – I remember the 4Is
- 21% said the Mindset-Toolset-Skillset framework
- 18% said the a-ha to Lead From Where You Are
- 16% said learning to delegate
- 15% said the coaching experience
A central part of each of these parts of the program experience is asking and answering questions. It is part of the 4 I’s of building relationships (inquire), is critical to applying the MOR leadership framework, leading from where we are, delegating, and coaching others. We hope the tools provided in this week’s reading help you further the foundation build by your MOR experience.
Reference
- Dale Carnegie, “How to Win Friends & Influence People,” Dale Carnegie Books, October 1988.
Other Readings
- Sarah Beckwidth, “What’s the answer? Techniques for answering questions.” https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/whats-answer-techniques-answering-question-sarah-beckwith
- “How to answer questions: simple and powerful techniques for confident Q&As.” https://www.skillpacks.com/how-to-answer-questions/
- John Braddock “The Art of Answering Questions,” https://spysguide.medium.com/the-art-of-answering-questions-c85a009a8ced
- John Cheverie, “Why Asking Good Questions Can Make You Be a Better Leader,” Educause Review, February 13, 2017, https://er.educause.edu/blogs/2017/2/why-asking-good-questions-can-help-you-be-a-better-leader
- “Five Strategies for Mastering the Art of Answering Questions When Teaching and Presenting,” https://infinitylearn.com/surge/blog/general/five-strategies-for-mastering-the-art-of-answering-questions-when-teaching-and-presenting/