EPILOGUE
The Inquiring Leader
Poor leaders rarely ask questions of themselves or others. Good leaders, on the other hand, ask many questions. Great leaders ask the great questions.
One morning Alexa swept into my office waving a printout of an article from The Wall Street Journal. She plopped it on my desk, her face lighting up with a big smile. Before I could read the article she explained that a few weeks ago she’d been interviewed by a reporter following a keynote presentation she’d given in Washington, D.C. She had nearly forgotten about it until today when they sent her a prepublication copy for her approval.
The article was titled “Inquiring Leadership: Cultivating High Levels of Engagement, Collaboration, and Innovation in the Workplace.” The article’s lead line addressed how inquiring leadership had resulted not just in turning QTec around but in producing profits beyond all expectations. My eye went to a paragraph where Alexa had highlighted my name. During the interview Alexa had used me as an example of the kind of leader—what she calls an inquiring leader—that we were developing at QTec. Until then I’d never seen myself as any kind of a model for other people. I barely knew what to say. Before she left my office she called Joseph to share the news with him. Later that afternoon the three of us met over a bottle of Alexa’s favorite wine to celebrate the occasion and toast our future.
“This article is a milestone,” Joseph said as soon as he finished reading it. “One section especially pops out at me. It’s a quote from you, Alexa: ‘The culture of any organization is created either by design or by default, and default typically tilts toward the negative and toward Judger. For this reason, it’s critically important to build an intentional Learner culture. And this can only happen through intentional Learner leadership.’”
Alexa nodded. “QT’s universality—that is, how it guides clearer, more precise thinking and communication—minimizes interpersonal challenges, which ultimately results in greater productivity.”
Turning to me Alexa said, “We’ve had Joseph as an outside consultant focusing mostly on individual coaching and occasional QT workshops. It’s time to extend the influence of QT throughout the whole company. As you’ve seen with your team, QT provides a shared language, with simple, highly intuitive tools and practices.”
“That’s true,” I said. “It seems like people are always pulling out a Choice Map in the middle of a meeting and saying, ‘Hey, guys, I think we’re heading down the Judger path.’ Or maybe, ‘Susan’s insight is brilliant. It puts us right back on the Learner path.’”
“That’s great to hear,” Alexa replied. “QT skills have certainly caught fire with individual leaders whom Joseph has been coaching. I can envision a time when everyone in the organization will be familiar with Joseph’s work.”
“So what’s the next step,” I asked, trying to hide my impatience. “How do you see me fitting into your plan?”
Alexa took a deep breath. “I’ll start by moving Charles into your position. He’s been ready for quite a while.”
For an instant I found myself pulled toward the Judger path. Was this a joke? Was she really moving Charles up as my replacement? Where did that leave me? Alexa’s announcement triggered some negative feelings I used to have about Charles. It took a second to give my Judger mindset a rest.
“I’ll want you to coach Charles through the transition,” Alexa said, nodding in Joseph’s direction. And then, looking me directly in the eye, she said, “As for you, Ben, I’d like you to head up the team that will bring Question Thinking throughout the whole company, stateside, internationally, and with our virtual employees. In effect, you’ll become our QT ambassador.”
“Me. . .? But. . .” I stammered.
Alexa grinned knowingly. “Ben, you know Question Thinking backward and forward. The unique combination of your struggles and ultimate successes gives you exactly the qualifications I want for this leadership position. I want you to shift gears and think much larger than the leadership of your current team.”
“This is a lot to take in,” I said, adding, “I hope Joseph will be there to back me up.”
Alexa laughed. “Yes, you have my guarantee of that. We’re working out the details, lining up people for your team who’ve been particularly enthusiastic about QT. And I’ve been talking with Joseph about creating a QT curriculum that includes a lively, engaging e-Learning experience based on the Choice Map. I like the idea of individual and collaborative learning online, including social media. We should encourage individuals and teams to share Learner success stories and new ways they’ve discovered for using the QT tools.”
“That’s an exciting vision,” I told her. However, as I contemplated this promotion, I felt a stab of anxiety. “This is all so new to me. Are you sure I’m ready for this? Where would I even begin?”
Alexa and Joseph exchanged glances. “You can begin by telling your own story,” Joseph said. “Be authentic. Leadership is as much about who you are as it is about what you do. Tell people where you started, where you are now, and what a difference QT has made for you personally, for your team, and for the whole company.
Leadership is as much about who you are as it is about what you do.
“Share your struggles along with your successes. This is a great way to build trust and alliances—Learner Alliances—that motivate others to want to emulate your attitudes and skills. Your effectiveness as a leader will often depend on these Learner Alliances, with trust and mutual respect based on your example, on people knowing you’ve been there, you’ve done it, and now you live it. You empower each person to think “If he can do it, so can I,” a belief made all the more real as people discover that these are practical, learnable skills, not unique traits of a single individual.”
“Like the tools you describe in the QT Workbook,” I said. “They’ve been a lifesaver for my team and me.”
Alexa nodded enthusiastically. “In today’s world we need to be adaptive and resilient, able to move quickly and strategically, and I believe a Learner culture equips us to deliver on that.” She paused. “There’s a quote by Edgar H. Schein I’ve always liked. How does it go? ‘The only thing of real importance that leaders do is to create and manage culture.’”
“Yes,” Joseph added, “There’s another part of that quote that is particularly important. Schein cautions us, ‘If you do not manage culture, it manages you, and you may not even be aware of the extent to which this is happening.’”
Alexa looked in my direction. “This is an important piece of your assignment,” she told me. “You’ll have your finger on the pulse of QTec’s culture and its impact on everyone who works here. You’ve graduated from being the answer man, Ben. I’m offering you the leadership positon of being our global QT ambassador.”
For the longest time the two of us sat there, eye to eye. Finally I said, “I feel a like the proverbial trailblazer setting off into new territory,” I said.
“You’re going to discover you know more than you think,” Alexa said. “I’m absolutely sure of it.”
“And you come equipped with a map!” Joseph grinned, pointing to the Choice Map that just happened to be on Alexa’s wall, beautifully framed.
“Right,” Alexa said. “You’ll have all the resources you’ll need. Imagine what we could accomplish if most of us were in Learner most of the time!”
She glanced over at Joseph, who nodded. Then she turned back to me: “What about it, Ben? Any questions?”
“Questions? Oh, you bet. I’ve got a million of them! I’ve become a champion of that Einstein quote you’ve got posted all over the place—Question everything!”
The room was silent for a moment, and then all three of us burst out laughing.
“You two are amazing,” Joseph said, after we’d quieted down. “Great things are happening around here, for everybody. Creating an intentional Learner culture—what an inspiring vision! I can’t help but wonder: What can QT make possible for all of us, now and into the future?”