Want to Lead?—Effective leaders are known by the questions they ask rather than the statements they make. Start asking smarter questions!
Lead with Curiosity: Why Great Leaders Ask More and Talk Less
Ever notice how toddlers ask “Why?” about 4,982 times a day? (And that’s just before snack time.)
Turns out—they’re onto something.
Because the best leaders? They lead a lot like inquisitive kids: Less telling. More asking. Always learning.
If your idea of leadership involves dramatic speeches and bulletproof declarations, we need to talk. Real leadership doesn’t come from delivering monologues—it comes from asking the right questions at the right time.
Let’s dig into why curiosity beats commands every time.
1. Questions Show You’re Actually Listening
Picture this: You’re in a meeting. The boss is monologuing. Everyone’s nodding, note-taking… or fake note-taking. Mentally? They’re halfway through their lunch order.
Now rewind. Imagine that same leader says:
“What’s the biggest obstacle in your way right now?”
Or, “If you could change one thing around here, what would it be?”
Boom. Minds re-engaged. Ears perked. Culture shift initiated.
When leaders ask questions, they show they care what others think. It flips the script from “Just do this” to “Let’s solve this—together.” That’s how trust—and real progress—starts.
2. Questions Spark Better Thinking
Great leaders don’t pretend to have all the answers. They just know how to ask the questions that unlock them.
Generic: “How do we increase revenue?”
Effective: “What’s one thing we could offer that customers would actually pay more for?”
See the difference? One feels like a lecture prompt. The other? Like a spark plug for real ideas.
Smart questions are like flipping on the lights in a dark room. And the best part? You never know what you’ll discover.
3. Smart Questions Build Stronger Teams
Telling people what to do? That’s easy. Empowering them to figure it out? That’s leadership.
Asking “How would you approach this?” instead of “Here’s what I’d do…” hands your team the mic. It gives them ownership, confidence, and creativity.
Before you know it, you’re not just leading a team—you’re growing one.
They don’t just follow. They flourish. And that’s a win you can’t manufacture with directives alone.
✍️Note to Self: Leadership isn’t about being the loudest in the room. It’s about asking the questions that help everyone else speak up louder—and smarter.
So, Want to Lead? Start Asking Smarter Questions.
Next time you’re in a room, skip the declarations.
Try one of these instead:
- “What’s another way to look at this?”
- “Where do we need to get clearer?”
- “What haven’t we considered yet?”
And here’s the kicker: actually listen. (Yes, that means putting your phone down. Yes, I saw you.)
Because great leaders don’t just have answers.
They help find them—by asking better questions.
AI Sidekick Alert: Today’s Quote was unpacked and shaped with more than a little help from my brilliant, behind-the-scenes AI tools.
About Tony
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Tony Brigmon | Speaker—Emcee | TonyBrigmon.com
Tony Brigmon is a party animal. He’s been known to stay up well past nine o’clock drinking root beer and telling G-rated jokes. Sure, the neighbors complain, but that doesn’t stop him. Because Tony is serious about having fun. Serious fun, with serious results.
As a result of his questionable spelling skills, Tony learned at an early age that his name spelled backward is “YNOT.” As in, “YNOT take a closer look at his book?” Or “YNOT smile when you should be crying?”
Tony was a Southwest Airlines “Insider” and the former “face” of their renowned culture as their official “Ambassador of Fun”. At Southwest Airlines, “fun” was the power of “positivity” that helped catapult a small carrier into a force that changed the airline industry.
Today, Tony is a popular speaker, emcee, and author of The FUNomenal™ Workplace. (FUNomenal™ is pronounced the same as phenomenal but it’s a lot more FUN.)
Former CEO of Southwest Airlines Howard Putnam says: “Tony has a gift for blending fun and capturing ideas in a manner that sticks for audiences.” Tony’s friends say that no one should have so much fun while sober. Tony’s wife said she has had about all the cheerfulness she can stand.
“Fun” transformed this author’s work and life. YNOT discover if the serious power of fun can transform the next 30 seconds of your day or 30 years of your life?
YNOT arrange to have Tony Brigmon teach you and your team how the power of fun can help you get more done, bring out the best in everyone, and make you irresistibly attractive in your communication with others. You can do this. So, YNOT?
