Good bosses have all the answers, but great bosses also have all the questions.
Asking employees the right questions can dramatically improve morale and productivity, says Chris Clarke-Epstein, a Wausau, Wis., management consultant and author of “78 Important Questions Every Leader Should Ask and Answer” (Amacom, $17.95). Here are two of her favorites:
– How do we make money? “There are a lot of people in the workplace who have no idea how the company functions,” Clarke-Epstein said. She said bosses who ignore that question can end up with workers who don’t appreciate how vital their work is to the company.
She adds that bosses don’t give workers enough context. They will either not ask for workers’ opinions before making decisions or will assume that the rationale behind the decision is obvious.
“When you don’t deliver context,” Clarke-Epstein said, “you can’t expect people to make smart decisions on their own.”
– What gets in the way of your doing your job? Phrasing the question that way encourages people to respond, Clarke-Epstein said, giving bosses insight into how people do their jobs.
She compared the situation with a waitress who asks, “How was everything?” People are likely to say “fine” unless they have a serious concern. But if the waitress had asked, “What one thing could I have done to make your dining experience better?” she would have gotten more constructive suggestions.
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As for questions bosses should ask themselves, she puts “What does leadership mean?” at the top. “We get the title, and then we start behaving like the leaders we had in the past,” Clarke-Epstein said.
Early risers: In a survey of office workers by At-a-Glance, the big manufacturer of calendars and organizers, people were asked, “At what time of day do you believe you are most productive?”
Twenty-five percent said “earlier than office hours,” and more than 30 percent said the first few hours of the day. Only 8.7 percent said “later than office hours.” Yet many workplace gurus say that bosses are far more impressed by people who work late than by people who come in early.