Tag: questions

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Specific Questioning process

Here’s a suggested process you could utilise to become an inquiring leader

  1. Start with a specific question: “What are the main factors that have contributed to the current situation?”, “What specific goals are we trying to achieve?”
  2. Use active listening: “Can you tell me more about that?”, “What are the key concerns that you have about this issue?”
  3. Probe deeper: “How do you think we can overcome this challenge?”,
… Read more
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How to ask better questions


“I cannot teach anybody anything, I can only make them think.” This Socratic sentiment speaks to the power of asking questions as a means of unlocking new insights and generating fresh ideas. As a leader, you have the opportunity to harness this power by adopting an enquiry-based approach to leadership. While advocacy can be an effective leadership style in some situations, adopting an enquiry-based approach can help you to build trust, engage your team, and uncover new perspectives that may have been overlooked.… Read more

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Questions are more important than answers GM1

I intend writing a series of posts on the transition to becoming a General manager.

Managers of departments commonly attribute their success to their knowledge and experience. As a result, they become used to having the answers. But a general manager cannot have all the answers. It is more important to be able to ask the right questions.

As a new leader, you may feel pressure to have all the answers and make quick decisions.… Read more

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The Phoenix Checklist

During an assignment to develop a session on critical and creative thinking I’ve found inspiration.

the first is the problem-solution model


  which enables us to think about the right questions on the right order.

then there’s the Phoenix checklist from the CIA‘s (I’ve always wanted to link to the CIA) Problem Definition Checklist provoked precisely this kind of approach; rounded, many-faceted, flexible.… Read more

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Some general mental models

I hope you now understand that mental models and mental tools are more than just a model of the brain, they are valuable adjuncts to how you are able to work. In todays last session, lets cover more general mental models that could be of use.

I recently came across Charlie Munger’s 1995 speech, The Psychology of Human Misjudgment, which introduced me to an explanation of what I’d been doing all my business life – using the power of  applying mental tools from a wide array of disciplines and applying these to the business questions I had.… Read more