How to ask bigger questions

Most meetings and workshops are a waste of time. They're full of people resolving trivial issues that could be handled by email or delegation with minimal big-picture impact. I hate them.

There are many reasons for that - read more here - but one is a fundamental inability to ask the right questions. When we're trying to be useful and we're overwhelmed by the big picture, we default to asking small questions when presented with new information.

Specific, detail-focused questions will deliver specific, detail-focused responses. They trap us in a cycle of putting out short-term fires and limit our ability to make big-picture, long-term changes. 

In Strategic Public Leaders and Not An MBA,  I teach leaders how to get out of the weeds by asking bigger questions. This is the single most important skill in a leader's toolkit.

When leaders ask bigger, better questions of their staff and colleagues, they waste less time, make more progress, and have more meaningful (and less frustrating!) conversations. They're also far more likely to progress on their big-picture goals because they pervade every conversation rather than languishing on a shelf or poster.

Here's a model I use to help local government leaders level up their meetings.

How to level up your questions

Level 1: Explanation

Most people get stuck at level one. They ask what's happened and what needs to happen next. They get trapped in the details, time goes down the drain, and everybody wants to put pencils in their eyes. 

These questions tend to provoke defensiveness, judgement, blame, over-explanation and mistrust. 

Example:

• What is happening with the pothole on Main Street?

Level 2: Exploration

Level two questions encourage a systems mindset. We look for trends, connections and insights that will benefit more than one problem.

These questions take the focus off people, limit the potential for blame and open up discussion about barriers and enablers.

Examples:

• What are our response times currently like for maintenance requests?
• How is our footpath renewals programme progressing?
• Has customer satisfaction changed over the last year?

Level 3: Evaluation

Level three questions put problems and issues into broader perspective, evaluating their importance and potential impact by thinking wider, deeper and longer-term. 

At this level of abstraction, we anchor back to our big-picture goals and direction and evaluate our options and choices with those in mind.

Examples:

• Does the funding for our maintenance programme reflect our priorities?

• Do we have an infrastructure strategy for the long term?

• What are our service level goals for urban areas?

If you're struggling with mistrust in your professional relationships, slow progress on strategic initiatives or long meetings that go nowhere, try using the above model to channel your questions in a better direction.

TLDR: Ask bigger questions to make bolder, better choices.

Til next week,

A

PS - If you're an ambitious leader who found this useful and exciting, you should join the next intake of Not An MBA. You'll be surrounded by other clever, curious thinkers taking their careers to the next level. Sign up here.