A close associate of mine, Brian Hayman, heads up a leadership training firm called Getting in the Groove. What’s remarkable and really cool about their programs is that they always feature a live improvisational jazz combo. You can learn more about this on his site but what I want to share today is a recent “Random Riff” Brian wrote exploring the comment from an executive that, while he didn’t believe that leadership could be taught, he did believe it could be learned. I invite you to read Brian’s “riff.”

One thing Brian raises is the importance of questions (from the learner) in the learning process. If he is to grow, especially in such a complex competency as leadership, the learner must be continually curious about what he hasn’t yet mastered, about how he could have better handled a leadership situation. And curiosity is all about questions. But Brian goes on to say that equally important is the timing of the questions. They have to come before the answers are given. In fact they have to drive the search for answers. The emergence of questions indicate that the learner is ready to move ahead and in what area of the skill he seeks to know more.

So, in the spirit of a learner, I find myself raising a question, the one in the title of this post, in fact. Of course, individuals have many preferred learning styles. For example, some like to learn on the job, by doing, by trying it out. Others like to observe the skill in action before trying it out. Yet others prefer first to learn the theory, to understand the concepts behind the thing being learned, then take a crack at it.

Whatever style your people prefer in learning to be a better boss, I agree with Brian. Every individual’s leadership development process has to be learner-directed. This means their managers have to resist the temptation to tell them how to be better before they even realize their current way could be improved upon. And then they still need to be willing to learn some more. Otherwise, as Brian points out, you are giving your employee the answer before they’ve come up with the question.

Here are a few thoughts on what managers, mentors, coaches and trainers of budding leaders can do, while being careful to honor the “question” issue:

• Watch for when they are struggling or when they experience a set back or fail to handle a situation well. These offer potential teachable moments, opportunities for them to step up, reflect on what they did, and open themselves to potential new, more effective ways of responding as a leader.
• Don’t give feedback about their improvement unless they ask for it. You might, however, offer to discuss it if they want to. (“Would you like to talk about what happened?”)
• Alternatively, regarding their struggling or their set back, ask them how they could have handled it differently or what they plan to do the next time a similar situation arises.
• If they are performing below what is expected, however, do remind them firmly of the performance goal, confirm that they are committed to achieving it within a specified time frame, and then ask how they plan to meet the target.
• Consider taking a “pygmalion” approach as their boss where, based on their strengths and track record, you express your (genuine) belief that they are capable of achieving greater accomplishments. The key is to put your observation out there and let them pick up on it or ignore it. Trust that, if there is a part of them that in fact would like to grow and access more of their potential, they will come back to you with, guess what…their questions.
• Build a leadership development program in your organization that offers a mix of:
  • classroom training
  • individual reflection
  • employee involvement in setting learning goals
  • planned on-the-job learning and application
  • special project or task assignments
  • one-on-one support coaching or mentoring
  • some reading related to leadership
  • regular follow up regarding their progress.

In sales, questions from a prospective customer are known as “buying signals,” indications that the individual has at least some interest in your product or service but harbors some concerns that must be met before they will allow the process to proceed to a sale. A professional salesperson satisfies their prospect’s concerns while expressing their (genuine) belief in the ability of the of the product/service to meet the customer’s needs. As professional sales coach Tom Stoyan says, the role of the sales professional is to help the customer make a buying decision.

It is no different in building leadership capacity in your organization. The professional manager role is not to teach people how to be leaders. Rather it is to help them learn.