Seven Questions You Can Use to Move from Manager to a Leader
Many careers and best-selling books have been built around the idea that there is some mysterious difference between a manager and a leader. But what IS that difference, really?
Both get things done. Each produces on strategic initiatives and business outcomes. Execution is a priority no matter what your career trajectory, especially coming out of COVID-19. The entrepreneurial view requires the action-reflection cycle to move an organization forward. It’s not accidental that action leads to that combination.
Leaders follow a vision that they see and communicate to their followers. Understanding where you and the organization are going is the first step to having others follow. How a leader develops that vision and owns it is another article.
But mixing in another small mindset shift sets leaders apart as well: Leaders intentionally look for opportunities to unlock/develop the people around them. When you follow or work for a true leader, full potential is within reach for both the individual and the organization.
Bringing that future to life challenges even an excellent leader, and taking people with you as you move toward a vision demand that you deal with changing conditions and employee expectations that can be all over the map.
How can an effective leader release the people around them to reach their potential? Here are seven structured, systematic questions that you can use to challenge the people around you in developmental conversations:
- What progress have you made?
Right out of the gate, a leader has to make a decision: will it be more helpful to track progress by measuring back from the starting point? Or is how far away the goal is more compelling? Looking back to where you started roots the progress conversation in tangible outcome. Keeping your eyes on what’s in front builds ownership of the vision. Both have solid reasoning behind them. - How on track are you?
This second question invites an assessment of the progress from the person being coached. Leaders who develop people gain insight into how well their team evaluates their progress, which is a key growth area. You’ll not only measure the progress being made, but understand and improve strategic skills. Sharpening this area equips individual contributors to level up to leadership. - What’s working?
Now we move from the strategic to the tactical. This question focuses on the actions that have produced helpful results in the recent past (like since the last conversation between the leader coach and the client. These items might be areas where more energy can be targeted later in the conversation. - What’s not working?
An effective addition to the previous question explores what produced results that aren’t helpful or doesn’t produce results at all. A lack of impact may point to items that can be shut down or cut back. - What are you learning?
Again the client has to actually say what they’re discovering. The process of forming their learning into clear thoughts and then pushing the words out of their mouth reinforces the insight. The client hears their own words and can gauge their reaction to them, which further confirms the moment. This question drives discoveries more often that any other, so don’t miss the opportunity to ask it! - What needs to change?
Adapting or developing a client’s thinking becomes the goal here. Unadopted learning (as named in the previous question slows down development). When asking this question, be sure to connect what the person being coached named as important realizations from their progress. Even a few moments of reflection may inspire new connections and actions. - What now/next?
Splitting the last step into two specific questions helps team members focus and order their commitments.
- “What now?” points to the first thing the client will do after the conversation ends. This action grows out of the last two questions and should move the client toward the key outcome.
- “What next?” carries a less clear priority. As long as what the client names in response to this question moves them toward their vision/goal, the timeline can be wider. A helpful rule of thumb might be to expect this action to be completed before the next conversation or by the next team meeting.
These seven questions shift a manager from directing the actions and priorities of her team toward being a leader that invites team members to make meaningful contributions on a daily basis. The mindset shift requires the leader to depend on team members and work to bring out the team’s abilities. Team member growth AND bottom-line outcomes indicate how well this is working.
IMPORTANT NOTE: This seven-question framework only works if there is an agreed-upon goal, vision, or destination. Leader and person being coached have to agree that they’re working together on specific outcomes. Clarity wins. Ideally, the client names the target as the conversation begins. If that target isn’t clear in the client’s mind, the leader/coach becomes most effective by asking open-ended questions that help the client become specific about what they want to accomplish.
Whether you or the team member identified the future target isn’t the point. Clarity about what you want is the multiplier. It’s especially powerful if you can identify how you’ll know you’re actually getting what you want in the moment.
One unintended side effect is that this approach can make your team more prone to turnover…BUT it’s the kind of turnover that comes from team members being promoted or taking on more responsibility. The converse of this side effect is that you will become the leader in your organization that helps people get promoted, and that is a powerful recruiting advantage!
