Devoted to Managers and those that seek to improve their management skills

One of the biggest areas I believe we managers can improve in is in the area of asking questions. If we could combine that with “managing by walking around”, I think we would have an excellent opportunity to really know what was happening and needed in our company.

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It is my thought that managers are afraid to do it. I have worked with some of those who promote the command-and-control type of management, and even among them I have seen this being neglected or resisted. 

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Sometimes, it is the fear of finding out what is really happening. But to me walking around and also asking questions is the greatest anti-hype weapon we have. But in keeping this in mind, remember that you must not want a certain answer to a question, you want the real answer.

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I came across a post from Seth Godin he wrote last month, and he says it very well: “Every question represents a choice for the person you are asking. She can choose to take a risk and tell you truth, or she can dissemble, fib or outright lie, and save your feelings or avoid an awkward situation.” 

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Then he goes on to say, what is to me, in the area of asking questions, the core of the issue, “The way you ask the question, then, matters.” This is absolutely correct. When a manager interacts with an employee, the employee is reading the manager to figure out what they really want to hear.

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They are weighing whether the answer they give will cost them something. They are thinking and wondering if you really want the truth or want to be lied to. In other words, they’re wondering if you want to know how things really are or if its going to be business as usual. How you ask the question will determine the answer you will get.

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Seth adds one more excellent insight, “The thing is, once you get someone to tell you the truth, you have no right to argue with them. Punishing someone for giving you honest feedback just guarantees that they’ll never do it again.”

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If and when that happens, that will cause your business or unit to suffer greatly. Yes you need to be somewhat thick-skinned in this, because sometimes the things you hear will be challenging and hard.

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Always be looking for questions to ask and don’t be afraid of the news they will bring. The alternative is to not even being close to comprehending what the needs and challenges that are really facing your company now.