10 Questions You Should Be Asking Your Team

One of my favorite things to do is coach young leaders. They’re excited to make a difference and hungry to help their team. They’re also eager to learn how they can do a better job of leading their people. However, sometimes simply asking your new teammates, “How can I be a better leader,” can communicate a lack of confidence on your end, and your direct reports might not be willing to honestly answer such a point blank question.

So, how can you get your new teammates to give you candid feedback on how you can better lead and serve them? Here are 10 questions I’ve found to be most helpful.

1. What strengths do you feel like I tap into right now?
2. What strengths do you feel I’m not using, and how would you like me to tap into those?
3. What is one thing I should keep doing and one thing I should stop doing?
4. Do you feel that you need (or would like) more/less supervision?
5. Do you perceive me as being more about success or significance?
6. Out of my responsibilities what would you struggle with the most if you were in my position?
7. Where are areas you feel the team needs to improve?
8. In what areas can I help improve the way we work together as a team?
9. Who is your go to person on the team? Why?
10. If you were a newly hired CEO of this company, what would you do? What you would change, add, or omit?

By asking these questions, you will be able to adjust and improve your leadership, and you’ll also get a better understanding about the health and engagement level of your team from your teammates’ point of view. Of course, I wouldn’t recommend asking all 10 questions in one setting, but I also wouldn’t reserve these questions for the annual review. Ask them in your candid conversations and your regular one-on-ones to establish an ongoing dialogue about your ability to better connect, support, and lead the people on your team.