Becoming a great manager without making any major changes requires very little on your part. What truly makes all the difference is how you use two very important words while you lead your team.
When we talk about those two important words, you will be surprised to know that we have already used them in our opening paragraph. Yes, the two keywords to be a great manager are ‘what’ and ‘how’.
A Great Manager Motivates with the Right Questions
One of the best ways of driving your team forward is to put forth questions that are essential to your management skills as a great leader. When you pose questions to your team, you inculcate in them the habit of asking by building consensus and motivating them to draw forward the best ideas when they don’t feel dictated by their leader.
As integral as the role of asking is as a manager, equally important is how you ask what.
Regardless of the situation you and your team are in, some basic ‘what’ and ‘how’ questions pave the way for a successful venture. Why you may ask? Simply because they establish a conversational relationship between team members and the leader instead of a dictatorial one.
Some basic questions you may find handy when initiating discussions with your team can be:
- How will this work for you?
- What aspect of this does not seem right to you?
- What aspect does not work for you?
- How foolproof do you think the alternatives are?
- What alternative have you considered in case this does not work?
- How can the management assist you in avoid this mistake in future?
- What questions would you like to ask about this project?
If you pay close attention these questions, you will notice that they cannot be simply answered with a yes or no and will therefore entail a healthy discussion. This is the beginning of success for you as a manager.