The Seattle Chapter of WIAL-USA meets monthly to learn, share best practices, and use action learning to help others solve real, urgent problems. The WIAL method of action learning is a powerful problem solving methodology with two simple rules:
Two year olds are very good at asking questions. What two year old hasn’t been known to ask “Why?” frequently, to the adult’s despair. But something happens as we mature. We lose the ability to ask questions. I think it’s because we lose our curiosity. We are a society of experts, hired and paid for our knowledge. So why would we ask questions when we’re paid to have answers? I’ve worked with many leaders through action learning and the one thing they consistently walk away with is an increased awareness and appreciation for the importance of asking questions. It makes them better leaders. It makes them more successful. Dr. Mike Marquardt, founder of the World Institute for Action Learning (www.wial.org), dedicated an entire book to leaders asking questions, called Leading with Questions. So, during last month’s Chapter meeting, this lack of skill in asking questions was evident. The group asked if we could use this month’s meeting to simply focus on building our questioning skills. So, that’s exactly what we will do. The Chapter’s April meeting, held Monday, April 11th will be dedicated to learning how to ask better questions. There will be ample opportunity for every attendee to practice and help others grow their skills. I’m looking forward to the meeting! And I can’t wait to see the impact it has going forward when we work through problems in future meetings. Meeting Information: Monday, April 11th, 5:00 – 7:30 pm Montlake Library 2401 24th Ave E Seattle, WA For more information, check out our website at seattlewial-usa.org, or contact Andrea Cole at andrea@colecoach.com or 240.401.2673. Andrea Cole, M.A. is an organizational development coach and consultant who works with organizations to find sustainable solutions to achieve business results. With more than 20 years in Fortune 500, Non-profit, and Government Contracting, she has the experience to understand and resolve your problems while building leadership capacity, employee engagement, and improve team performance. She is currently Director of Chapter Development for the World Institute for Action Learning – USA and past executive board member of the global World Institute for Action Learning.
2 Comments
4/8/2016 03:38:24 pm
We see this a lot and train loan officers to build report and learn about the clients life, along with their wants. Otherwise they'll spend the time asking about what they think is important. We make sure all their questions are answered, but give them some new questions to consider too.
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Andrea
5/1/2016 08:42:38 am
Thanks Andrew. I love to see the difference in how teams communicate once they've learned how to ask better questions.
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Andrea's passion is to see you achieve your professional dreams. Whether you are a corporate leader seeking leadership development for your employees or an individual seeking guidance in building your career or preparing for retirement, she will coach you to success. Categories
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