Effective Leadership Through Humble Inquiry
Presentation for the 2018 Public Issues Leadership Development (PILD) conference, sponsored by the Joint Council of Extension Professionals (JCEP). Although the public generally looks to Cooperative Extension for answers, we also need to engage in leadership, and “leadership is not as much about knowing the right answers as it is knowing the right questions” (Tiede, 2013, p. 2). As highlighted by Ed Schein (2013), “Humble Inquiry is the fine art of drawing someone out, of asking questions to which you do not know the answer, of building a relationship based on curiosity and interest in the other person” (p. 2). This session will draw upon practical experience and related literature. Participants will engage in conversation about how the principles can be applied in their work with educational program participants, advisory groups, administrators, program partners, potential donors, and more.
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Effective Leadership Through Humble Inquiry
- 1. Effective Leadership Through Humble Inquiry Presented by Eric Kaufman
- 2. Session Take-Away Messages 1. Leadership is not as much about knowing the right answers as it is knowing the right questions. 2. Humble Inquiry is the fine art of drawing someone out and building a relationship based on curiosity and interest in the other person. 3. Powerful questions create powerful thinking — the best questions rattle around for months, provoking thought.
- 6. Turn the Ship Around! “Like so many times, my not knowing the answer ahead of time helped me.” – L. David Marquet
- 8. www.simonwestern.com To cite work: Western S. (2008) Leadership a Critical Text, Sage London
- 9. Shift from Individual Leaders “We mistakenly recognize power at the center as strength and power at the margins as a structural weakness when neither is the case” (Western, 2010, p. 44).
- 10. Overcoming Our Fears “If we are able to lay aside our fears, even momentarily, to consider the collective alternative, we might not only see its value but also its appropriateness for 21st-century organization…. People have to be willing to find their voice and contribute it to the growth of the community.” - Raelin (2017) “What are you afraid of: Collective leadership and its learning implications.”
- 11. HUMBLE INQUIRY
- 12. Humble Inquiry
- 13. Ask, Listen, Focus 1. Ask respectful questions 2. Listen attentively 3. Focus on the people How you ask is critical!
- 15. Relationship to Leadership “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” - John Quincy Adams
- 16. When have you pondered a question that made you think or change your perspective?
- 18. Asking the Right Questions When have you asked a question but ended wishing you had asked it differently?
- 20. Benefits of a Questioning Culture • Powerful questions create powerful thinking — the best questions rattle around for months provoking
- 21. Facilitating Question Bursts 1. Set the stage. 2. Brainstorm the questions. 3. Identify a quest— and commit to it.
- 22. Principles for Better Questions • Traditional, divergent- thinking techniques can help unlock new questions and, ultimately, new territory. • Questions are most productive when they are open versus closed, short versus long, and simple versus complex. • Descriptive questions best precede speculative ones.
- 23. Principles for Better Questions • Shifting from simple questions to more complex ones produces better breakthrough thinking. • Questions are annoying and distracting when they don’t spring from a deeply held conviction about what the group wants to achieve. • Questions are toxic when they are posed aggressively.
- 24. Implications for You and Others?
- 25. Contact Me With Questions Eric Kaufman EKK@VT.Edu