Leadership is not easy, which is why every leader must always ensure they ask their team the right questions. As a leader, you should always be looking to get better. Part of doing this is by asking questions that may seem a bit outside of the norm. There are lots of great teambuilding and leadership questions one could ask, but here's a list of ten that will challenge you, your team and the way you run things.
Asking right questions is a skill every manager should have in order to build strong teams and foster leadership in your employees. Think about that for a second. Questions open up communication. They can inspire big ideas, inviting others to explore possibilities of their own. And they can help your team move forward with the confidence that comes from knowing their leader has an open mind, values them, and listens carefully to their input.
When leadership and teambuilding stays in front of the game, it allows for a more self-motivated culture.
Why you should ask: This question goes beyond the job and lets you truly know what's important to a person. It also gives you insight into how they are doing overall, which can be helpful if they have been struggling to focus or have been absent recently.
Why you should ask: Getting team members to share what they love about their organization and their role within it will help them feel connected to their work, validate the company's purpose, and encourage them to keep at it when times get tough.
Must read: 9 Employee Engagement Strategies You Can Implement Today!
Why you should ask: This question shows that you are interested in helping them become more effective and provides an opportunity for your team members to seek specific assistance from you. It also sends a message that you care about your people and want to know how they're doing.
Why you should ask: This one is a biggie. It’s so easy to get caught up in your own work and forget that everyone has their own objectives to work on. The last thing you want to do is put roadblocks into their path. This question allows your team to tell you what they need from you, and gives you an opportunity to clear the way for them.
Why you should ask: Asking this question identifies what matters most to your team members, and it gives an opportunity for them to share something personal with you. People often share things with their manager that they wouldn’t necessarily share with other co-workers, which builds trust and strengthens the relationship between you and your team.
Why you should ask: Think of this as a "reverse" coaching question! Ask your team members if there is anything they'd like you to stop doing or saying because it doesn't help them achieve results. Maybe it's the way you give feedback, or maybe it's the way you assign work. Either way, this question gives people an opportunity to share their thoughts directly with you without feeling like they are criticizing or complaining about you or your behavior.
Why you should ask: This question is not about answering a report or doing an assignment; it’s about the little things we do that can make us feel proud. A small thing we did, noticed and appreciated.
Too often in the workplace, leaders are focused on issues rather than people, problems instead of solutions, being right instead of being heard. What most leaders don’t realize is that if the employee feels valued, he or she will be more engaged and happy at work.
Why you should ask: The leader's job is to make sure everyone is on the same page and working toward a shared goal — increasing happiness scores by even one point can do wonders for engagement and productivity.
Why you should ask: As a leader, you need to know when your team is unhappy, and why they're unhappy. If you don't, they will leave you and your company. People don't leave jobs, they leave bosses.
Why you should ask: When you hear employees' feedback about whether they feel the company's core values are being lived out (or not), it tells whether your leadership is delivering what they say they are. This helps you understand which values need more attention, both within themselves and in the organization at large. If any answers surprise you, it may be time for an organizational review.
You may like: Strategies for Achieving Management and Leadership Success
Why you should ask: Your role as a leader is not just to set a direction, but also to create an environment where everyone feels like they're part of that direction and has a say in how your team can get there. This question provides the opportunity for your team members to contribute some ideas on how they see us getting there.
Why you should ask: This question helps you learn how you can help your team be more effective. If they need more training or resources, then it's up to you to make sure they get it. The insights help you understand how you can be a better leader. You might discover that you need to step in and remove obstacles for your team, or that you need to focus on building certain skills.
Why you should ask: You're not going to know about potential issues unless you specifically ask about them, so make it a weekly habit to check in with your team about any improvements that can be made. When you invite suggestions from your team members, it shows them their opinions are valued and important, which inspires loyalty and increases productivity.
Takeaway: Communication is a cornerstone of any team, and effective leaders know how to use communication to their advantage. One of the best ways to do that is to ask your team questions every week. These questions promote teambuilding and leadership in your team. So ensure that they are all involved in the discussions, help them develop new skills, make them feel confident in their contributions, and ultimately makes everyone in the team more productive.
Bonus: Including regular team building activities part of your work culture is one of the greatest ways to foster employee engagement and increase productivity. Partner with us to strengthen team building in your organization with the help of fun and engaging experiences.
We've been doing this for more than 10 years now. Tell us what you need. Skip the search, sit back, and relax.
We’ll send everything straight to your inbox.
