Questions are important but there are two in particular that will help you more effectively lead a team.
What could go wrong?
When you’re starting a new project it’s great to have a premortem. Daniel Pink discusses this in his book “When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing.” The question you’re asking is what could go wrong?
Why is this the right question? Because you’re asking it before you start. While you’re bound to still make mistakes they will most likely be less impactful than the less thought out plan you had before the premortem.
Make sure to gather everyone on the project and have them each answer this to gain insight from all perspectives.
You are not only fleshing out a better project but you're teaching each member of the project team how to think longterm like a leader.
Can you tell me in your own words?
Do you understand? That used to be what I asked my employees after doling out tasks. Saying no to that was hard therefore no one said it. And mistakes were rampant.
I changed this simple question to an open ended one instead. Can you tell me what’s being asked of you and how you’ll go about the task?
If they couldn’t tell me then I knew I’d done a poor job of explaining and would retool my teaching for a better work product.
The bonus was it prepped my employees for moving up in the working world and sharing their thoughts with their own teams.
What do these two questions have in common? They are both open ended and they give the team ownership in the final outcome.
Your job as a leader is to teach anyone you come in contact with how to fish and these two questions give you the tools to do just that.