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1 Tip Tuesday: Better Questions Make Better Leaders

The best leaders are rarely the smartest in the room or the ones with all the answers—they’re the ones who ask the best questions.

If your first instinct in a conversation or meeting is to make a statement, you may be leading at the lowest level. Want to level up? Start asking before telling.

Level 1: The Statement Maker

Most leaders (yes, maybe even you) operate here. They lead with:

• “Here’s what we need to do.”

• “This is the problem.”

• “I think the best solution is…”

That’s fine for quick, tactical action—until it isn’t. It doesn’t prevent blindspots or develop your team.

Level 2: The Clarifier

These leaders have learned to pause and probe before pronouncing:

• “What’s the root cause of this issue?”

• “What are we optimizing for?”

• “Who else needs to be involved?”

Level 3: The Breakthrough Artist

Welcome to the elite tier. These leaders unlock new thinking with questions like:

• “What’s the one thing we’re not considering?”

• “What would this look like if it were easy?”

• “If we started from scratch, would we still do it this way?”

• “What do you think we should do?”

Here’s the deal: The highest-impact leaders don’t just give answers. They pull the best answers out of others, empower ownership, and encourage action.

Your Call to Action: In your meetings this week, fight the urge to make statements. Start with questions instead. Count how many times you catch yourself wanting to tell rather than ask. Then, work on reducing that number from there.

💡Pro tip: Write down your best questions. The good ones are worth keeping.

Found this valuable? Help your network level up:

• Forward to a friend, colleague, or leader who needs this

• Share it on LinkedIn (tag me @BrendenWright)

• Subscribe to get more leadership tips and content: https://wright-on-leadership.beehiiv.com/subscribe

Go get ‘em! 🚀

—Brenden

P.S.—What's your go-to question for your team? Reply and let me know.

P.S.S.—It’s 2025. If you’re not learning about AI, you’re falling behind. Check out the Rundown AI and stay competitive.

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