I'm on the road, touring NSW and helping Councillors and Council managers across the state work together better and become more strategic leaders.
Local government leaders make strategic decisions, not operational ones. Strategic decisions are ambiguous, subjective and complex, which means there's rarely a right answer. Instead of focusing on the quality of their answer, I suggest leaders first focus on the quality of their questions.
How to ask quality questions
Quality questions do four things:
1. Assume positive intent
Quality questions assume everyone is motivated by good and doing their best. This is an inside job. Try saying, "Why did you do it like this?" and "Why did you do it like this?" in your head a few times with different tonal emphasis. One says: "Why are you such an idiot?" Another says, "I'd like to understand the process better." It's all intent.
2. Put curiosity first
Seek first to understand, then be understood. If the answer were as obvious as it looks, they already would have solved it. Assume there's something you don't know, and be open to hearing about it.
3. Serve the room
Ask questions that benefit more people or tackle the bigger issue at stake. Level up your questions to identify underlying causes, systemic barriers and overall trends. When you expand your scope, you multiply your impact.
4. Keep it clean.
No GOTCHA! moments. If you're asking a question to catch someone out or get them to admit something, that isn't a question. You're just being a jerk.
Try asking quality questions this week and see how it shifts your conversations.
Til next week,
AM
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Alicia McKay