Asking Better Questions

Good managers have answers. Great managers have questions.

Questions unlock insight.
They invite your team to think, to speak up, to share what they see that you might miss.

When you ask the right questions, you move beyond surface fixes and get to the heart of the matter. That’s how you grow people—and performance.

Why It Matters:

• Culture: Questions create psychological safety and inclusion.

• Performance: They help you get to root causes, not just symptoms.

• Trust: Teams respect leaders who are curious, not just directive.

What Most Managers Overlook:

They assume their job is to provide answers.
But some of the best moves come from asking questions that others might not even see.

When Indra Nooyi led PepsiCo, she was known for starting every meeting with one question: “What’s the biggest thing you’re working on right now?” It set the tone for focus and accountability—and made her team feel seen.

How to Get It Right:

• Replace statements with questions: instead of “We need to fix this,” try “What’s stopping us from moving forward?”

• Don’t just ask—really listen to the answers.

• Use open-ended questions that invite more than a yes or no.

• Practice asking questions that help your team see problems and solutions in new ways.

Do:
✅ Start meetings with a thoughtful question
✅ Encourage everyone to ask questions, not just answer them
✅ Use questions to explore, not to control

Don’t:
❌ Ask questions that feel like traps
❌ Cut people off when they’re sharing insights
❌ Default to giving answers instead of creating space for ideas

Better questions build better leaders—
and better teams.