When I was a young software consultant working for Frank, the world’s best boss, I learned a very valuable lesson. Asking questions to promote employee growth.

Let me describe a common situation I encountered.

I had the toughest and largest client in the company, a large shipping vendor. Every time their system broke down in the middle of the night they would call early the next morning, screaming, “my data, may data!”

I would enter Frank’s office and say, “it’s them again.”

Instead of launching into a list of all the things I needed to do, he wisely asked,

“What is your plan for solving their problem?”

Of course he had already taught me the basics of handling a difficult client including:

?? Listen intently

?? Acknowledge what they’re saying and their reason for being upset

?? Help them to calm down by reassuring them that you know what to do

?? Move them to a solution and communicate next steps

But this situation called for more. So in addition to the above he said,

“What could you do to strengthen your relationship and build trust with this person and her team?”

Put this way the answer was obvious, TAKE HER TO LUNCH.

And it worked like a charm. We became friends & started going to lunch monthly. From then on, when she called, rather than screaming, she was smiling and laughing because she knew I cared and that I would take care of her.

While this story has several implications, I want to focus on this technique, known as building a culture of inquiry. Helping people by asking questions so they can dig into their own brain trust to formulate their solution.

Asking questions empowered me to analyze a problem and discover solutions for myself.

Fostering a culture of inquiry is critical for employee engagement, self-efficacy, and most importantly, banishing burnout.

What examples do you have of building a culture of inquiry?

If you do not have the bandwidth to prevent burnout for your teams, get in touch here Janice@JaniceLitvin.com