Seven Leadership Questions That Show You Care

When a new leader takes over a team, the assessment period begins…on both sides! As a leader, it’s essential to understand this and accept it. Your new team is looking at how YOU act, react and lead to see how much trust they are going to put into you for the long-term. So, before you unpack all your boxes and set up photos around your office, start planning to get to know your team by asking some key questions!

Patience and Interest

Being the “new leader on-the-block” requires patience and the ability to be truly interested in each person’s direction and understanding of where they see the organization going. What is THEIR vision for the future? Taking time to assess this will not only give you some insight but, show that you care about their opinion as you create YOUR vision.

Ask these questions to show your desire to understand and align with your directs:

Seven Questions to Ask Your New Team

  1. What is the next step for our organization?
  2. What’s your opinion of our lead products/services?
  3. What’s our future from this?
  4. Developmentally, where do you see yourself now relative to our company?
  5. Where do you want to be next year at this time?
  6. What would be exciting for you to focus on?
  7. In retrospect, what would you have altered from last year?

These questions give you insight into your direct’s knowledge of the organization and how connected they are to it. Do you have a favorite question you ask?

Try these and let me know how it goes in the comments below. Thanks!