Leading with Questions: How Leaders Discover Powerful Answers by Knowing How and What to Ask

Author: Michael J. Marquardt & Bob Tiede Year: 2023 Genre: Leadership

About This Book

In this newly revised third edition, renowned global leadership consultants Michael Marquardt and Bob Tiede describe how to ask powerful questions that generate short-term and long-term results and success. They show you how effective leaders use questions to encourage participation and teamwork, foster creative thinking, empower others, create relationships with customers, and solve problems.

Key Insights

• Questions drive ownership: Asking unlocks thinking and commitment in others better than telling.
• Design questions, not speeches: Use open, specific, and forward‑looking prompts to surface insight.
• Listen to learn: Follow-ups, silence, and reflection build trust and uncover root causes.
• From advice to curiosity: Shift one‑on‑ones, retros, and meetings to be question‑centric.
• Scale through culture: Teach question skills to managers so inquiry becomes a team norm.

Why I Recommend It

It’s the most actionable guide I know for shifting from a “telling” leader to a coaching leader. The techniques improve 1:1s, performance reviews, and problem-solving sessions within a week.

Read it to build a culture where people think for themselves, surface risks early, and feel genuinely empowered.