Can questions build trust?

In a recent article by Maynard Webb #ProductivityHacks, Chairman of Yahoo, he talks about how he builds trust with his team to leverage more time to spend on things he cares about. One of the actions he suggests builds trust stood out for me: ask questions.

In coaching lingo this is known as taking a “coach approach”. But will it actually help you build trust with your team?

I believe it will and here is why.

In the traditional model of leadership, an employee expected the boss to provide direction by giving clear and direct orders. Theirs was not to question, but to carry out the request. This approach may have gotten the desired result from the leader, but where did it leave the employee? My guess is not empowered.

Fast-forward 20 years and leadership takes on a whole new meaning. We are deluged with blogs, articles, books and academic papers heralding the finer points of leadership. All good stuff, but many leave out the importance of leaders asking questions of direct reports and creating a coaching culture of learning.

So what if you had a supervisor who was interested in your perspective? What if instead of telling you what needs to happen or what you need to do, they sought out your ideas? Wouldn’t that change everything?

I believe it would lead to more meaningful conversations for both of you. This opportunity for rich discourse sets the stage for both sides to open up. And couldn’t this lead to trust?

Steve Gladis, creator of the Coach-Approach Model believes that asking the right questions has more power than giving people the right answers. In his co-written article with Kimberly Gladis, he proposes that the same coaching techniques that help executives figure out difficult issues and problems work equally well with everyone in the company.

The staff and executive at Joey Restaurant Group in Canada know all about trust. They decided to invest in their people by bringing in a coaching program to create a coaching culture. Not only did it shift the culture, it resulted in a 30% increase in revenues. “Coaching moments and conversations are organic and are part of the way in which we communicate” according to Kristin Constable, Manager of Training and Development. And even better, their overall retention rate increased by 134%. Now that is a sign of trust!

So here’s the thing – if you’re a supervisor, what if you began every conversation with every staff person with a question? It could be as simple as “We’re thinking of changing x, y and z. What do you think?” or, “What would you do in this situation?”

I guarantee it will inspire, motivate and empower

And if you are the staff person, what if you were to ask your supervisor something like, “what do you think we can achieve by going that route?” or, “I have some ideas I would like to share. What if we were to do this?” Taking a risk, I know. But chances are, that risk will lead to an open conversation resulting in an emerging relationship of trust. And who wouldn’t want that?

Is Maynard Webb right? You bet! A coaching culture and asking questions rather than directing or telling is key to building trust with employees.

What will your next question be to your staff? Let us know in the comments below.