“It’s worse than getting everyone on the same page.  Some of my people aren’t in the same book.”

–Overheard at a club luncheon

 

Here is a secret:  Effective leaders don’t manage people.  They manage questions and let the questions manage the people.  The more skilled a leader is at using questions, the more effective will be his or her leadership.

What makes a really great team?

I have been part of sports teams, volunteer teams, ad hoc emergency teams, product launch teams, international event production teams, political, environmental and social action teams.  To name a few.

What do all highly effective teams have in common?

(Esprit de corps is important.  But enjoying being on the team is not sufficient for success.)

• Every individual is a key player

• Every individual owns the team’s goals

• They think synergistically in terms of connecting of ideas, resources and people   

• They ask a lot of questions and pay attention to what the others have to say because they require clarity

• They “play off of” and inspire each other

• They share a common picture of where they are going

 

The Question-Assisted Leadership™ program includes all this and more.  

I created the Question-Assisted Leadership™ program (QAL) because I have seen fragmentation and distractions, indifference and outright hostility squash the efforts of a lot of businesses. 

I created this program because it gives a manager or business owner access to tools for creating a more stimulating environment for meetings of every sort.  And the people involved tend to welcome the addition.

The QAL program makes it easy for a team to learn the basics of why, when and how to use questions.  One commonly experienced outcome is that the team sees immediate positive results.  That outcome is highly motivating for a team to continue developing question driven problem solving skills.

 

“I have been through enough corporate training to recognize ‘frou-frou’ training models that cost a ton, load up staff with big binders that collect dust, and everyone sighs in relief when the trainer is out the door!  Question-Assisted Leadership™ is not one of those.  We thought we were good before (and we were).  Now we are even better!  Robert Bystrom and Question-Driven Leadership™ specialize in individual and work group skill development that uses very practical and efficient concepts.”
Connie Shannon
Owner, Fairhaven Village Inn
Bellingham, WA

 

Can you imagine everyone in your organization looking forward to meetings?

 

Back when we were Collective Intelligence Solutions, LLC, Question-Assisted Leadership™ was featured in Business World Spring 2011 as the leading voice of Collective Intelligence in action.

The editor of Russell Bedford Business World Quarterly realized that Collective Intelligence is an emerging field so he wanted to find whoever was leading the development of principles and business applications.  He found us and was relieved to find a company that not only knew what collective intelligence is, but had developed proprietary processes to achieve consistently high marks for their clients.

Still today, many consulting firms use the phrase “collective intelligence” to refer to some vague, high level cooperation that their clients can achieve without knowing there is actually such a thing as the synergy of people thinking together and engaging their combined mental capacity and life experience to solve problems.

All of the Question-Assisted Approach™ applications and programs share the theoretical foundation of  the Question-Assisted Mind™.   Read a descriptive article, “The Revolutionary Theory of Question-Driven Intelligence” to understand the far-reaching implications of this work.

 

 

Contact us today to schedule a free consultation to find out how Question-Driven Leadership™ might make the elements that make up your organization operate more in concert.

 

(You will never brain storm again!)

 

What does the Question-Assisted Leadership™ Program look like?

Every program is customized to fit the client so no two look alike.

Since the program is about optimizing the functioning of the team on all levels and drawing on the collective mental capacity and pooled life experience of all the members, meetings will require a meta structure.  A meta structure means having a way of taking advantage of what is really possible given the potential of all the mind power and life experience that is right there in the room.  It means adding an element to meetings that will measurably enhance the results.

For this reason, the Foundation Course typically includes four live (in person or virtual) interactive training sessions for the entire team.  During each session, the team will solve an actual, present time problem by using the Segue™ process.

Briefly, the Segue™ is a one-team, non-competitive, interactive problem-solving, game-like activity.  There are no wrong answers in a Segue™.  There are no losers.  Doing a Segue™ typically leaves the participants energized and feeling good about themselves and about what they are up to.

While doing a Segue™, the team members practice several Relational Mindset skills simultaneously, which is precisely why I emphasize its use for a group of any sort that is attempting to accomplish something together.  The higher the stakes, the better.  I recommend using the Segue™ when an outcome carries a significant weight.

The Segue™ trains people in a deceptively simple yet highly effective use of questions in order to create possibilities that are beyond the capacity of any one individual.  It trains people in paying attention and listening, which is not a common skill!  It trains people to think more clearly.  Possessing this skill is a massive side benefit, because what the team members learn at work increases their ability to relate everywhere else in life.

Who doesn’t want more engaging, more relevant and more forward moving meetings?

In addition to the live training sessions, the leader typically receives three months of laser coaching in order to improve his or her ability to use questions and follow up questions, to know what questions not to ask, and finding what more the team could do with their new found skills.  Question-Assisted Leadership™ only gets better the more you use it.

“Let’s Segue this.”®

Contact us today to find out how the Question-Assisted Approach to Business and Life® could make everything richer for you.

Popular Articles about the uncommon effect of QAL™

1.  The Revolutionary Theory of Question-Driven Intelligence™ 

The Theory of Question-Driven Intelligence™ presents a new paradigm for doing what we call life, either individually or in concert with others.  When applied, the theory provides insights and access to resources most people are entirely unaware of.

2.  What is the Segue™?

Deceptively simple, the Segue™ is a model for exceptionally effective collaboration.

3.  A Game-changing Game

An organization that uses a Segue™ from time to time becomes more adept at doing whatever task they undertake because working from the same set of questions creates clarity and coherence.

4.  The Role of Collective Imagination in a Culture of Ownership 2017

Do you like the idea of a culture of ownership but are leery of collective decision making?  You should be!  The Segue™ makes an end run around stalled consensus.

5.  Creating the Future of Your Business

For any businessperson nowadays, planning for the future is an everyday occurrence.  It is increasingly the case that the rate of change in the market and in the supply chain requires nimble, agile, intelligent staff and leadership.  Without that, work is guaranteed to be more challenging.  But with a team that actually knows how to pool their experiential and mental resources and how to pay attention to what is important is capable of keeping pace with the world–and maintain their humanness and their sanity at the same time.

A Few Case Studies Demonstrate the Effect of the Segue™ (there are lots more!)

1.  Case Study:  A Nursing Home Director Finds the Key to Managing Her Staff

2.  Case Study:  A Large Spa Handles Critical Scheduling

3.  Case Study:  Ranchers and Farmers Save Their Valley from Development

4.  Case Study:  A Boutique Hotel Owner Stops Micromanaging and the Business Flourishes