10 Powerful Questions for Leaders to Ask

In the modern world of leadership development, I’ve observed that becoming a highly skilled questioner is far more impactful than aspiring to have all the answers as a leader. One of our core values as a learning and development business at Acre Frameworks is curiosity – it is a superpower we all inherently possess we sometimes forget to lean into, or don’t make enough space for in our busy lives.

Out of curiosity, when was the last time you thought about your questioning skill set? Are the questions you’re asking powerful? If you’re looking to strengthen the way you lead, I’d encourage you to consider embodying a coaching approach and practice the art of powerful questioning. Perhaps now you’re wondering how to kickstart this learning journey… well, keep reading.

According to the Coaches Training Institute (CTI), “powerful questions

- invite introspection,

- are open-ended,

- lead to greater creativity and insight,

- and invite [people] to look inside or to the future”.

To build on this, check out this video of David Clutterbuck. When supporting clients to build out their coaching skill set I love sharing this simple framework for powerful questions that he outlines using the acronym PRAIRIE as food for thought.

Powerful questions are:

Personal - relates to/is targeted at you

Resonant - hits home emotionally

Acute - gets right to the point...

Incisive - ...clear, brief, direct

Reverberating - continues to capture your curiosity

Innocent - no agenda/free from questioner's influence

Explicit - very simply expressed

I appreciate that Clutterback notes what makes a question powerful is the context it is used in – so, a question could be powerful in one circumstance or with a certain person, but not in/with another. As a coach, here’s the key messages I take away from the framework:

-You need to get clarity of thought on what you are asking and why you are asking it (which is born from deep, active listening!) and work on mastering how you express yourself verbally.

-Powerful questions hit home, capturing our hearts and minds in an impactful way based on our unique experiences, beliefs, values, etc.

-Powerful questions are delivered from a place of genuine curiosity (there is no game plan on where you think the conversation should be heading)

So now it’s time to get you to reflect…

• Which letter of the PRAIRIE acronym would you benefit from developing further as a questioner and coach?
• What is one action you will take off the back of identifying the above growth area to work on progressing it?
• And I’d also like you to have a go writing out some powerful questions you can keep in your toolkit! My invitation is to come up with ten go-to powerful questions and identify what the intention is behind each one.

As a terribly curious coach myself, I’ll share 10 of my favourite powerful questions and the intention behind them. Try these on for size to see if any are worth adding to your go-to list!

Ask someone…

1.     What is the distinction between feeling ‘good’ and feeling fulfilled for you?

^ The intention here is to understand the person’s values/purpose.

2.     What is present when you are at your best?

^ The intention here is to guide the person to reflect on what works and/or acknowledge their internal resourcefulness.

3.     Where are you too comfortable?

^ The intention here is to start a conversation with the person about what it looks like to healthily stretch outside of their comfort zone in service of their growth.

4.     What is the decision you have been avoiding?

^ This is a provocative question for a person feeling stuck or engaging in analysis paralysis.

5.     If you are saying yes to this, what are you saying no to?

^ The intention here is to guide the person to evaluate how much they are committing to and if they are healthily boundaried, as well as prioritise.

6.     What if it doesn’t work out the way you wish?

^ The intention here is to prepare a person to be in a growth mindset in the face of challenges/setback they may come across in pursuit of their goals when appropriate.

7.     What is the story you are telling yourself about the situation?

^ The intention here is to explore the person’s perspective on an event/set of circumstances to see if it a healthy, rational one, especially if I suspect there’s a limiting perspective present.

8.     How do you self-sabotage?

^ The intention here is to crack open a conversation about limiting beliefs/narratives the client has – name it to tame it.

9.     What is your body telling you about how you feel right now?

^ This question is especially applicable when a person gets visibly emotionally flooded (ie. tears), this can facilitate them processing what the emotion means and what they can learn from it.

10.  What do you need to give yourself permission to do today?

^ The intention here is to forward the client the do something for their mental health and wellbeing.

Looking to build out your coaching skills or be coached yourself? Get in touch via [email protected] to learn more about how we support individuals and teams!