Fast Company has this list of questions to ask colleagues (or ourselves) from a book, “Fierce Conversations”, by Susan Scott:
What has become clear since last we met?
What is the area that, if you made an improvement, would give you and others the greatest return on time, energy, and dollars invested?
What is currently impossible to do that, if it were possible, would change everything?
What are you trying to make happen in the next three months?
What’s the most important decision you’re facing? What’s keeping you from making it?
What topic are you hoping I won’t bring up?
What area under your responsibility are you most satisfied with? Least satisfied with?
What part of your responsibilities are you avoiding right now?
Who are your strongest employees? What are you doing to ensure that they’re happy and motivated?
Who are your weakest employees? What is your plan for them?
Susan is right – these are the type of questions we certainly need to answer, but do not. Time to do some introspection…
