Good questions good leaders ask

A manager comes back from a leadership seminar full of bright ideas and enthusiasm. He calls a meeting of all of his employees and announces that his office door will be open, and he will be easily accessible for the rest of the week. If there is ANYTHING an employee needs, now is the time to come talk to him.

Less than an hour later, the manager is sitting in his office, and Joe comes in sheepishly.

“Boss,” says Joe, “I’ve got a problem.”

“No, Joe!” says the manager. “In this company, we do not have problems. We have opportunities!”

The manager asks Joe, “So what opportunities are there that concern you?”

“Ok, boss,” says Joe, “I’ve got a drinking opportunity.”

Great leaders ask great questions. They ask pertinent and wise questions that pertain to what they do and who they are. And the questions they ask are based on the lessons they learn and develop along the way.

Everything has a life cycle

The greatest enemy of today’s success is yesterday’s success.

What got you here won’t get you there. Yesterday’s performance in terms of sales achievements doesn’t win today’s game.

The question is: Are you intuitive enough to know when something is over and no longer works?

Character matters when building a winning culture

It has been said that “Culture is who you hire.”

“It’s about potential, traits, character – all that little stuff.”

You could bring in lots of sales and publicity for the company, but what will that do for you if you have awful character, and your colleagues or team don’t like you?

You have to be sensitive to know the intangibles of leadership.

Leaders, are you first constantly self-evaluating to know if you possess the intangibles needed to influence others continually? Also, are you looking for these same character traits in others when considering adding them to the team?

There are predictable models of success

John Carter is the CEO of Noah Basketball, an organization that has developed technology that analyzes players’ shooting mechanics. Regarding great shooters like Steph Curry, Caitlin Clark and Sabrina Ionescu, he said in this article from The Athletic, “They do certain things the same, every single one, without fail. They all shoot with a trajectory that comes into the rim close to 45 degrees. That’s where you get the best control.”

There are people in your industry who are winning and incredibly successful. They have developed a successful system that they implement over and over again, achieving predictable success.

Have you developed a system that allows you to achieve predictable success? If not, are you humble enough to learn from those who have?

Constant adjustments help winning organizations continually thrive.

Flexibility and nimbleness are skills. So, the question here is: Are you constantly making adjustments based on your personal performance and the obstacles you are encountering?

Leaders should enjoy their success

Leaders should enjoy the fruits of their labor. After all, celebration is one of the rewards for hard work.

“What are we going to do to be better next year?”

Basketball coach Geno Auriemma was the head coach of the United States women’s national basketball team, and he said in an interview with The Athletic, “You can’t get to where we’ve been without being the person who’s constantly chasing, constantly reaching, wanting more. Whatever you have – it’s not good enough.” He added, “Only the painter knows where the smudges are on their painting. If Da Vinci is looking at the Mona Lisa and you’re looking at it with him, you’re saying, ‘That’s the greatest painting there ever was.’ In his mind, he’s going, ‘You know in how many places I messed that up? And nobody knows about it.’”

However, the perfectionist leader will eventually hurt his health. Frustration will be his constant companion. A minimum level of contentedness and joy along the way would have helped.

Leaders, are you enjoying your success?

You should; there is no guarantee you will be a winning organization tomorrow.

The following are five questions leaders should constantly be asking when it comes to building a winning organization:

Are you intuitive enough to know when something is over and no longer working?

Are you first constantly self-evaluating to know if you possess the intangibles needed to influence others continually? Also, are you looking for these same character traits in others when considering adding them to the team?

Have you developed a system that allows you to achieve predictable success? If not, are you humble enough to learn from those who have?

Are you constantly adjusting based on your current performance and the obstacles you are encountering?

Finally, are you enjoying your success?

These are good questions good leaders ask. What, then, is your question?

(Elevate your leadership game and thrive in the modern business world at Level Up Leadership – The Next Edge Conference on May 15, 2024, at Space, One Ayala, Makati. For inquiries, registrations, and reservations, contact April at +63928-559-1798 or Savee at 0917-533-6817. For more information, visit www.levelupleadership.ph. Limited seats are available on a first-come, first-serve basis).