Open-ended questions: my top tip for building high-performing teams
Three weeks ago I had a team on the verge of mutiny. When we first came together two weeks earlier they were displaying all the classic signs of a dysfunctional team; low motivation, accountability and output of work, high levels of finger-pointing, and blame culture. They were out of step with the wider business.
In the two weeks that followed, we had chugged through our first sprint, work that would form our foundation but it wasn’t yet showing dividends. They were frustrated. Tired. And feeling their time and effort weren’t making a difference. I could see they were on the verge of mutiny.
This week, just three weeks later, they finished their second agile sprint with an incredible review presentation to the wider business. They, and their audience, were so excited at the work they had completed in the two-week sprint “we have never achieved so much, in so little time, we’ve never worked so collaboratively … and it was EASY.”
So how did we make such a fundamental shift in such a short space of time? I used my favourite open-ended question. No, it isn’t revolutionary, but the key is WHICH question I used and WHEN I used it.
WHICH question?
I believe using an open-ended question will lead to a better, more collaborative outcome than a closed question such as “can you support me by doing x?” However, there is one question that I have found to be especially effective and that question is “How might we..?”
“How might we prioritise our tasks this week?”
“How might we get the same input but with fewer meetings?”
“How might we work more collaboratively?”
WHY does this particular open-ended question work so well?
Though deceptively simple, every word in this question is important and plays a part in building a high-performing team. Let’s take a look at each word individually to see why;
HOW – using the word ‘how’ immediately makes the conversation solution-focused, moving things forward in a helpful way if there is negativity or blame
MIGHT – gives psychological safety by communicating that it does not have to be the perfect answer and any idea is welcome (if you want to know more about psychological safety read another of my articles here)
WE – we are in this together as a team. ‘We’ removes any fear that all weight of responsibility sits with one person – it’s not “how might you” it’s “how might we”
WHEN should I use this question?
Every time someone complains - “How might we change that? How might we do it better next time?
Every time a challenge comes up - “How might we solve this differently?
Every time your team interacts with other teams - “How might we work together to deliver this outcome?”
Every time your team works together…and so on.. over and over creating new behaviours and attitudes and a high-performing, highly engaged and motivated team.
How do you use open-ended questions to build a high performing team? Let me know in the comments below