If you asked ten employees what qualities effective leaders should possess, chances are "solid decision-making ability" would be mentioned by at least half of those employees.
And what about "product knowledge" or "knowing the right answers"? Shouldn't good leaders know all the answers, too? Shouldn't they have deep product and business knowledge and wisdom in spades in addition to a refined ability to trust their gut in decision making?
While no one can deny all those things are attractive when manifest in chief executives, the simple truth is that no leaders will always have all the answers. In fact, a much better skill to have than being a know-it-all is leading by asking questions.
Wait a minute... leaders who ask questions are telegraphing that they don't know things they probably should know, right? Wrong. Leaders who ask questions rather than go about supplying all the answers are, by contrast, demonstrating supreme confidence in their employees as well as an appealing, humbling level of vulnerability.
Business leaders don't have to be gods. And quite frankly, they can't be.
Asking your employees or those in your top management group questions creates more buy-in than does issuing directives. Especially if you are leading a family business from the successor generation--not the god generation. By asking questions, you'll get more information and better information to use in decision-making than if you presumed to believe that you alone were the source of all good answers.
Sum & Substance: The next time you are leading a team of employees, and you feel the urge to bark out orders or answers, try a new model. Try asking questions and see if that doesn't lead you to a better course of action while increasing employees trust in your leadership.
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