Thirty years of research and practice has led me to a one-sentence conclusion that sums up my approach to organizational problem-solving: The questions people ask about situations they want to change reveal a lot about what they are thinking and feeling. When our unquestioned assumptions immobilize us, struggling to find a better answer is not nearly as useful as working on asking a better question. To be more questionable is to be able to find a better question when you’re stuck for an answer.
As the economy strengthens, many organizations are coming to grips with leadership challenges – and, specifically, the need to more quickly develop a deeper bench of future leaders. The unrelenting war for talent and the pace of Baby Boomer retirement patterns are two of the issues fueling the leadership imperatives at many organizations.
