Overview

Based on the best-selling book by Michael J. Marquardt and Bob Tiede. In today's fast-paced and ever-evolving business environment, the ability to ask the right questions is a powerful leadership skill. "Leading with Questions" focuses on equipping leaders with the tools to foster innovation, build trust, and improve team collaboration through strategic inquiry. By mastering the art of asking insightful questions, leaders can uncover new perspectives, spark creativity, and drive organizational success. This course will help learners enhance their leadership capabilities by teaching them how to use questioning techniques to make better decisions, solve complex challenges, and create a culture of continuous learning. You’ll gain practical strategies that can be immediately applied to real-world scenarios, helping you navigate change and lead your teams more effectively. What sets this course apart is its combination of theory and practical applications. The course doesn't just offer a conceptual framework for strategic questioning, but provides actionable techniques that can be implemented directly in your leadership practice. You'll explore real-world case studies and frameworks designed to enhance your questioning mindset and improve leadership effectiveness. Ideal for current and aspiring leaders, this course requires no prior experience with questioning frameworks, but a foundation in leadership principles will enhance your learning experience. Whether you're a manager, team coach, or executive, you’ll benefit from a mindset shift that will enable you to foster innovation, trust, and collaboration in your organization. From Leading with Questions Copyright © 2023 by Michael J. Marquardt and Bob Tiede All rights reserved. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Syllabus

A Powerful But Underused Leadership Tool

In this section, we explore how asking questions fosters a learning organization, drives adaptive leadership, and prevents inertia. Leaders learn to cultivate inquiry, enabling innovation and sustained success through continuous improvement.

Benefits of a Questioning Culture

In this section, we explore how fostering a questioning culture enhances decision making, adaptability, and employee empowerment. It demonstrates that sustained inquiry builds learning organizations and strengthens leadership through accountability and continuous improvement.

Why We Have Trouble Asking Questions

In this section, we examine how personal fears, time pressure, skill gaps, and restrictive cultures hinder effective questioning. Understanding these barriers enables teams to foster open inquiry and enhance problem-solving outcomes.

Asking the Right Questions

In this section, we explore how intentional questioning shapes organizational culture, directs focus, and reinforces core values. Leaders learn to use open-ended questions to drive innovation, align behavior with espoused beliefs, and enhance leadership effectiveness through clarity and purpose.

The Art of Asking Questions

In this section, we explore how mindset, timing, context, and active listening shape the impact of questions. Mastering these elements enhances communication, promotes learning, and fosters deeper understanding in real-world interactions.

Creating a Questioning Culture

In this section, we explore how leaders foster a questioning culture by modeling inquiry, reducing pressure, and training teams to ask effective questions. This enhances ownership, improves communication, and aligns values with continuous improvement.

Using Questions in Leading People

In this section, we explore how intentional questioning empowers direct reports, fosters continuous learning, and drives innovation. And we see how strategic inquiries strengthen relationships, enhance performance, and support growth across key leadership interactions.

Using Questions to Build Teams

In this section, we explore how intentional questioning enhances team collaboration, resolves conflict, and builds shared accountability. Leaders use open-ended inquiry to improve communication, foster trust, and drive team performance.

Using Questions to Solve Problems

In this section, we explore how structured questioning clarifies problems, integrates diverse perspectives, and applies the Powerful Questions Model to drive sustainable solutions through inclusive dialogue and adaptive thinking.

Using Questions to Share Strategy and Create Change

In this section, we explore how strategic questioning engages external stakeholders to refine organizational mission, values, and market positioning, fostering alignment and enabling agile, adaptive change through inclusive inquiry.