Can questions make you a better leader, parent, spouse, or person? Andy Stanley thinks so.
He states that the questions you ask reveal your real priorities. Ask yourself what the recipient of these questions really hears.
- You say you value your child’s heart but only ask about her grades.
- You say you value employee engagement but only ask about sales results.
- You say you value restored lives but only ask about giving.
- You say you value your wife’s peace but only ask if she’s gotten everything done.
What do your questions really reveal? Pause for a second, and come up with questions for each scenario above that would align with each stated value. We’ll pause as you develop your own.
[elevator music playing for 60 seconds]
Andy starts every staff meeting with this question, “What happened on Sunday.” His team knows it is an invitation to share stories of how people were impacted. This question places laser focus on Andy’s top priority.
What questions should you ask your spouse, your child, your friends, or your team to reveal what is important to you, and hence to them? Yes, step one is to identify your foundational priorities in each of these relationships before you can create your questions and develop your questioning skills.
NOTE: when crafting questions, consider their weight and wisdom. For example, if someone is living in a season of perpetual struggle, asking how they are doing could force them to remember how troubling things are.
Submit below questions you intend to ask and the reason you are asking them. You can also submit a question you could ask the person currently living in a season of struggle.