Why Do Leaders Encourage Questions?

Something we should be asking ourselves

Galileo before the Holy Office by Joseph-Nicolas Robert-Fleury, 1847 (Wikimedia Commons - public domain)

“Bad men live that they may eat and drink, whereas good men eat and drink that they may live.” — Socrates, c. 430 BC

Did you ever notice how the best leaders ask a lot of questions?

(See what I did there?)

Now, let’s be clear. This isn’t the same thing as the “I’m just asking questions” brigade, who attempt to camouflage their insidious implications as if they’re engaging in some high-minded Socratic discussion.

The seemingly innocent “I’m just asking questions” method is designed to introduce doubt or misinformation, thus keeping their intellectual rudder stuck on a collision course with the shoals of their own worldview.

In contrast, those who ask questions sincerely and openly are attuned to and prepared for whatever responses they receive, allowing the new information to steer them to new shores of knowledge and perspectives.