Let’s not pretend you have all the answers: invest in asking the right questions

If you think leadership is about having all the answers, that’s not leading — you're playing a very tiring game of guess what I’m thinking. It’s a common trap, though. You step into a leadership role and feel like you’ve got to be the expert on everything. But here’s the truth: the best leaders aren’t the ones with the smartest answers — they’re the ones asking the sharpest questions.

When you're in a leadership position, your job isn't to spoon-feed solutions; it's to spark the thinking that leads to better decisions. Asking questions is where it starts. The right question can shift the whole conversation, push your team’s thinking further, and help you see the blind spots no one’s talking about.

Here’s where it gets good — when you start asking the right questions, you're doing two things: empowering your team and freeing yourself from the pressure of knowing it all.

So, what are the right questions?

It’s not about asking a bunch of random stuff. It’s about cutting through the noise and getting to the heart of what matters. Here’s a few to keep in your back pocket:

• What are we not seeing here?
  This one forces you and your team to confront blind spots and look beyond what's obvious.

• If nothing changes, what happens?
  It’ll push your people to think beyond the moment and start considering the long-term impact.

• Who stands to lose the most if we do this?
  This question forces you to look at consequences — especially the ones no one wants to admit.

• What would we do if we weren’t afraid of failing?
  This flips the fear of failure on its head and gets your team to think big. Most of the time, the answer is a whole lot bolder than what you're currently doing.

• What would we do if we weren’t trying to please everyone?
  This is a powerful one for me in particular. The minute you take away the idea of people-pleasing, often the path forward is much clearer.

What would you add?
As you can tell, these are questions that you can ask both yourself for internal reflection and with your team. Doing both is a great way to build your question-asking muscle!

Why it matters

Good questions turn passive followers into active contributors. When you ask, “What do you think we should do?” you’re giving someone else permission to take charge. When you push with, “What’s the real problem here?” you’re refusing to accept the surface-level stuff that keeps us all stuck in mediocrity.

It’s easy to think you’re the smartest person in the room (especially when you're holding the title), but a question can remind you — and your team — that no one has the monopoly on great ideas. You're not the star of the show. The magic is in the collective wisdom around you.

Equally, asking ourselves good questions as leaders gives us the ability to dig deeper into where our growth areas are and where we might want to explore more. Self reflection is an incredibly powerful skill to have as a leader.

A bit of a laugh at your own expense

There’s also this: asking great questions shows you’re not taking yourself too seriously. Admit it — it feels pretty good to not have all the answers, right? I’ve sat in rooms where the leader tries to impress everyone by solving everything on the spot. Asking questions shows you're humble enough to learn from your team and brave enough to let them lead. That’s a gutsy move.

Challenge time

Are you asking enough questions? And more importantly, are you asking the right ones? What question are you avoiding because you’re afraid of the answer?

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Ready to lead with guts? If you’re ready to break out of the mould and lead with guts, let’s talk. Whether it’s through my practical HR consulting with BloomHQ, connecting with fellow disruptors in The Wild Ones, or getting hands-on with leadership in A Quest Within, I’m here to help unlock your inner Wild Leader.