As a leader, one of the most powerful tools available to you is the ability to ask engaging, open-ended questions. This type of questioning, known as the Socratic style, encourages engagement and dialogue among team members. By asking open-ended questions, leaders can create an environment where everyone feels safe to share their ideas and opinions. Not only does this help foster better communication and collaboration within teams, but it also helps promote a culture of creativity and innovation. Moreover, by asking open-ended questions, leaders can gain valuable insights into their team’s thought processes and understand how they think about certain topics or problems. Asking open-ended questions can be a great way for leaders to gain valuable insights into their teams that can help them make more informed decisions in the future.

To demonstrate, let’s look at what’s lacking with some commonly used closed ended questions.