Here’s three things I like to ask leaders I lead and leaders who lead me:
- What is your story?
- Getting someone to talk about themselves is the best way to tear down any walls. That’s pretty much everyone’s favorite subject to talk about anyway: themselves. If you know where someone comes from and what they’ve been through you have a better understanding of them as a person.
- Where do you see yourself in future?
- After you know where they’ve been, you can see where they are going. High capacity leaders have a vision for themselves, their organization and their families.
- How can I help you get there?
- Lastly you connect yourself to people by asking how you can help them get to where they are going.
I don’t usually ask the questions in this format and definitely not all at once. I try to make it as natural and organic as I can. I certainly ask lots of other questions but this is the basic strategy behind how I approach helping leaders.