Great leaders ask good questions – it makes all the difference in your business.  

Over the past 24+ years as an entrepreneur and business owner, I’ve read countless insightful books, articles, and listened to podcasts at 1.25x speed. Along the way, I’ve gathered powerful questions and worked with many coaches. My goal has always been to spark deep thinking with the intent to drive innovation, enhance leadership skills, and propel the agency forward. Finding that sweet spot where productivity meets results is why our agency’s philosophy is “Seeing You Bigger.”

Here are seven key areas to focus on when asking your team essential questions. These questions are designed to promote strategic thinking and planning, which are crucial for crafting impactful and creative campaigns. By focusing on leadership development, support, and risk management, you can ensure your team’s work remains ahead of the curve.     

1. Leadership and Personal Development

• Leadership Justification: Why should anyone be led by you beyond your title? 

• Leader Development: How do you build other leaders daily?

2. Support and Assistance

• Goal Support: How can I help you achieve your goals? 

• Frustration Relief: What’s your biggest frustration and how can I help? 

• Obstacle Management: What are your obstacles and what do you need from me? 

3. Strategic Planning and Vision

• Future Planning: What do we need to do today to stay ahead? 

• Vision Setting: What should our organization look like in three years?

4. Risk Management and Problem Solving

• Risk Assessment: What’s our biggest risk and fallback plan? 

• Inaction Consequences: What if we did nothing? 

• Failure Tolerance: Can we live with failure?

5. Innovation and Creativity

• Rule-Breaking: What rules should we break? 

• Idea Generation: Where do our best ideas come from and how can we get more?

6. Performance and Value Addition

• Performance Improvement: Who is underperforming and how can we help them? 

• Contribution Increase: How can you increase your team’s contribution? 

• Key Metrics: What are the key performance indicators? 

7. Cultural and Ethical Considerations

• Cultural Protection: What makes our culture unique and how do we protect it? 

• Workplace Dynamics: Why do people join and leave our organization? 

• Impact Beyond Profit: How does our brand improve lives beyond profit? 

Any business leader that has tried to ask difficult questions knows it is tough to implement! Success requires relentless focus and evaluating of your actions. Getting your team to embrace these practices involves clear communication, active engagement, and ongoing support.  

Here are some steps to help you implement these questions effectively: 

• Share the Vision: Explain why these questions matter and how they fit with your business goals. 

• Lead by Example: Use these questions yourself to show their value. 

• Training: Hold workshops to practice using these questions. 

• Open Dialogue: Create a safe space for asking and answering these questions. 

• Integrate: Make these questions part of meetings and reviews. 

• Support: Provide guides and templates to help the team use these questions. 

• Recognize: Reward team members who use these questions effectively. 

If you’re looking to improve team performance, foster creativity, or align with your core values, these questions will help you navigate challenges and seize opportunities. Developing strong leaders is what led us to become a results driven agency that immerses ourselves in our clients’ businesses, driving growth through strategic PR, influencer marketing, and innovative digital campaigns. 

Want to learn more? Let’s connect!