The Simple and Profound Power of Questions (Part Two)

The most powerful things in life and ministry are the simple things. Questions are simple, yet they can lead to profound results.

In my first blog post I wrote of how to use questions to learn from those we are trying to reach (the lost, or for businesses, the untapped customer). That was the outer layer of four concentric circles.

Today I want to address leadership development using questions.

Our achievement in ministry is measured by the successes of those we lead. Or as Bob Buford writes, “My best fruit grows on the trees of others.”

The place to begin is not with what a leader does but who he/she is. It is character. For followers of Jesus character is more important than results.

We will begin with the premise that the life of the leader is bound up with ongoing progress in Christlikeness (Galatians 4:19-20). Leaders who lead leaders spend time with those they are nurturing. What are some good questions that will foster spiritual growth?

Consider the following leadership development questions that focus on character:

Ask them to go to three people in the coming week that know them well and say, “If you were God and had the power to change one thing about me, what would that be?” This takes both courage and humility to do. Ask them next week what their friends told them they would change about them.

“Where is the Lord challenging you to change or to take a risk?”

“What is one of your failures in the past six months that the Lord used to shape and change you?” (Note. Teach your leaders to value pain and disappointment. For they are subversive teachers. For more on this read the chapter in my book SHIFT on “Shift from the old reality to the new reality”).

“Where have you seen God at work in your life and ministry?”

“What is currently causing personal turbulence (unrest)?”

“How is the Lord using your work/ministry to disciple you?”

It is advisable to end such reflective times by saying something like, “When I think of you, this is what encourages me about you.”

Then there are questions that are pertinent to their functions as leaders; what they do in ministry.

The two primary reasons leaders burn out are working hard but not getting good results, and doing ministry without someone paying attention to you as a person. This leads us to the power of using coaching to develop our leaders. Coaching is the “just-in-time” and not the “just-in-case” way of helping others truly advance.

Here is my coaching framework.

Dietrich’s “CARING” Model

            Care question: „How are you doing?“ Tell me more. (Pray for them).

            Analyze progress: „What have you accomplished since our last meeting? “

            Respond with praise

 Hinge Question: What is the greatest challenge that you currently face in your ministry? (present tense). Name it!

             Investigate difficulties: „What barriers or difficulties in surmounting your challenge do you see? “

             Negotiate options:  „What options can you think of to solve this challenge? “

Goal-setting: „Of the options you have just mentioned, which option is the best one to meet this challenge? 

What are your new goals, those that you can accomplish in the next six weeks? (Note: Good goals are SMART goals; specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, timed).

Remember: Coaching focuses on future possibilities, not past mistakes. Avoid asking the “why” question.

Explanation of Coaching:

We have heard the word “coaching” in sports for a long time.  An athlete is prepared by his coach to better improve his performance for competition.  But the term “coach” originally came to us from the transportation sector.

"Coach" is the abbreviation for a coachman.  A coachman is someone who guides the horses on a journey.  In our context, a coach is someone who supports leaders with a guided process of discovery leading to behavioral results. Good coaching empowers those leaders being coached to become good coaches themselves. “A coach is someone who comes alongside to help others find their focus” (Robert Logan, Coaching 101). Good coaches help answer three questions:

• Where am I?

• Where do I want to go?

• How will I get there?

Call to action

May I challenge you? Write down all the names of those that you are responsible for as leaders. Coach three of them in the coming week along the lines of my CARE model.

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