Beginning this Sunday, February 21st I will being teaching another round on my 10 Indispensable Practices Of The 2-Minute Leader course for business leaders at Fellowship Bible Church in Roswell, GA during the 9:15 AM hour.
In preparation for this upcoming study I wrote a post last week entitled 12 Steps To Making The Dreams Of Others Come True. I want to expand on step #1 – Leaders Who Make Dreams Come True Ask Good Questions. This is because wisdom is found in great questions. Not great answers.
We celebrate the Old Testament story of Nehemiah. We celebrate his vision, strategy, motivational skills, and ability to resolve conflict. But the truth is there would have been no story of Nehemiah without how God used King Artaxerxes to prepare the way and resource his plan.
After hearing of the desolation of his home country Jerusalem, Nehemiah, the king’s cupbearer, approached King Artaxerxes for assistance in rebuilding the city’s walls. The king then asked him a series of four questions between verses 2 through 6.
As we look at these questions in depth, we learn 4 Reasons Great Questions Can Be A Leader’s Best Friend:
- Great Questions Show You Care For Your Team Personally – In v. 2 King Artaxerxes asked, “Why is your face sad, since you are not sick? This is nothing but sorrow of heart.” This question shows you have genuine concern for those on your team. As the old saying goes, people don’t care how much you know until they first know how much you care.
- Great Questions Bring Clarity To Plans And Ideas – In v. 4 King Artaxerxes asked, “What do you request?” This question speaks to passion and how bought in people are. It shows how compelling the vision is.
- Great Questions Define Your Course Of Action – In v. 6 King Artaxerxes asked, “How long will your journey be?” This question brings the leader comfort. It shows the plan is well-thought out.
- Great Questions Reveal If You Can Complete Your Task – And also in v. 6, King Artaxerxes asked, “And when will you return?” This question tells the leader the plan is doable and can actually be completed. It also results in cash because the leader will now know if your vision is worth investing in.
So to recap:
4 Great Questions 4 Results Of Great Questions
v. 2 – Care Concern
v. 4 – Clarity Compelling Vision
v. 6 – Course of Action Comfort
v. 6 – Completion of Task Cash
Leaders, are you asking great questions? If not, start today. Great questions can be your best friend.
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