Monthly Archive for June, 2010

  • Answering a Question that’s Just too Personal

  • This one’s pretty short and sweet. Just because you’re a leader and someone has asked you a question doesn’t mean you always have to answer it. It is perfectly okay to establish some boundaries, usually around your personal life, that you’re not willing to cross. As long Don’t answer a question just because it’s asked. [...]

  • Answering when no One Wants to Hear the Answer

  • You know the truth; they know the truth. It’s just that no one wants to hear it. Flash back to your college days and hear the groan that followed the professor’s "quiz tomorrow" announcement. Remember your reaction when your child’s teacher called and said that your firstborn wasn’t working up to their potential. These both [...]

  • Answering when you can’t Answer

  • State secrets, confidential information, competitive analysis–you know the whole thing, and someone asks you a question about it. The butterflies start immediately. The person who asked is trustworthy, and you’ve been their leader for a long time. They know you know. You know that they know that you know. You can’t answer. You’ve been cautioned, [...]

  • Answering when there isn’t an Answer

  • Some questions just can’t be answered. Not because you can’t reveal information or because all the facts aren’t in, but because there just isn’t an answer. Life is full of questions that can’t be answered. How big is the universe? How high is up? Why do bad things happen to good people? These questions exist, [...]

  • Answering when the Answer is No

  • No means no, but leaders and parents often fall into the same trap and use it to mean maybe. This is a place when your past track record will serve or haunt you. If you consistently say no when you mean no and say maybe when you mean maybe, then, over time, answering with a [...]

  • Answering when the Answer is I don’t Know

  • We established early on that becoming a leader does not ensure that you become the fount of all wisdom. That being true, you’re bound to face a question where you simply don’t know the answer. Don’t panic. First, think through the question again to determine if you’ve been asked a fact question or an opinion [...]

  • What will the Organization do to Support me? What are my Benefits? What will this Mean for my Career?

  • Up to this point, we’ve explored questions leaders need to ask and answer. We haven’t looked at any questions leaders should not answer. Now is the time, and these three questions are perfect examples of questions leaders shouldn’t answer by themselves. Visualize a briefing after a plane crash. The chief investigator from the National Transportation [...]

  • Will Our Values Last?

  • My guess is that you won’t be able to answer this question, but you ought to be very glad someone asked it. Leaders help establish, shape, and nurture organizational values. A leader who goes home at night knowing their team lived their values that day has done the job of a leader well. But values [...]