When to Question Leadership

Recently, I had the opportunity to speak to a group of leaders that I admire regarding the appropriate time for the Michael Rainey and Associates team to ‘question my leadership’. The answer?

Immediately.

The Importance of Timing and Environment

Admittedly, I am using the term ‘immediately’ to reflect urgency more so than actual timing. In addition to our expectation of ‘immediacy’, it is our organization’s standard that questioning each other does NOT happen in the presence of an external audience but should instead occur within an internal environment that fosters open and honest communication. An environment that supports the ability to question, give, and receive feedback in a way that all parties feel connected and supported.

Why Leaders Should Encourage Questions

It is our belief that decisions and leadership should be questioned in this type of environment IN ORDER TO explicitly identify and openly discuss and learn more about the context, planning considerations and value judgments that drive organizational decisions.

Creating a Culture of Open Discussion

These questions allow all parties to be able to ‘see better’ and results in the reinforcing of organizational culture or challenging the context to ensure the organizational decision maximizes the likelihood of achieving organizational goals! In our experience, high performing teams ask questions and challenge assumptions for the specific purpose of shared success and achieving organizational goals.

The Key Difference: Asking vs. Questioning

However, one leader in the group challenged my answer by offering a counterpoint. The leader stated (correctly, in my opinion) that there is a distinct difference between a member of a team ‘asking a question’ versus a team member ‘questioning a leader’. As an aside, this leader ‘questioned’ my answer expertly (from my perspective) and supported my ability to answer in a way that I never felt threatened.

The difference? Intent.

The Role of Intent in Leadership Questions

There is a distinct difference in asking a question with the purpose of understanding versus questioning with the purpose of belittling. When asking a question, is your goal to see the team ‘win’ or to foster the team’s ability to come to an agreement and help each other ‘see more’ and grow? Or is it so that you can prove that you were ‘right’ or to ‘assert dominance’? Asking a question through the lens of desiring shared success has far different outcomes than asking a question for the distinct purpose of making yourself ‘puffed up’ at the expense of ‘tearing down’ a leader.

Trust: The Foundation for Productive Questioning

The ability for a leader to be questioned by members of their team comes down to the presence of (or lack of) trust.

Ultimately, the difference comes down to trust. When the four factors of trust (Humanity, Capability, Transparency, Reliability) are present in the organization, the leader is far more likely to view questions as a desire for shared success and not as an ‘attack’ or ‘criticism’. When trust is present, questions can be seen as an opportunity to build, grow, develop, improve, AND WIN! And those are questions that I will gladly answer!