Ask Coach: How Do I Validate My Emerging Leaders And Speed Their Development?

By Hardin Byars, executive coach with HTG Peer Groups

Question: How do I validate my emerging leaders and speed their development?

Coach: Ask questions!

Did you ever go to a business event, meet someone new and come away from the conversation feeling particularly upbeat? I would hazard to guess that it was likely because they asked questions and expressed genuine interest in who you are. In so doing, they connected and validated you as a person — not as a potential means to further their objective. The same thing applies to developing leaders.

Less Haste, More Speed

In the U.S. we tend to be time-based solution seekers. So, when people come to us with a new issue, we happily — and swiftly — provide a solution. It’s the most efficient way to get things done, right? Yet what seems to be the quickest route to get a task done is often a short-sighted perspective that actually slows development of our company’s leadership infrastructure.

When we only focus on the task at hand, asking more than a minimal number of questions is seen as slowing the process down. But, development of leaders doesn’t happen by osmosis, i.e., just watching us fix something.

Did you ever think about why your math teacher asked not only for an answer but for you to “show your work”? If we ask questions we get to see how our protégé actually thinks through problems. We can then either reinforce or correct their thinking which in turn, enhances their discernment and decision-making capacity. Moreover, asking questions validates the importance of their perspective as well as garners an additional insight that may lead to a more effective solution.

In short, slowing down to ask questions actually speeds up their growth as leaders. 

Hardin Byars is an executive coach with HTG Peer Groups where he is most energized by helping CEOs apply their God-given talent to achieve their potential and create business value.  He also advises senior executives on strategic planning and organizational development to drive sustainable growth. Prior to his affiliation with HTG, Hardin was CEO of Intellinet, a nationally managed Microsoft partner focused on maximizing the business value of corporate IT investments. You can reach him at hbyars@htgpeergroups.com.

This article originally appeared at http://htgpeergroups.com/blog/entry/validating-and-speeding-development-of-emerging-leaders.html.