Asking the Right Questions free essay sample

Leadership and Direction Asking the Right Questions John Wrzesinski Org 300 – Applying Leadership Principles Colorado State University – Global Campus Dr. Charlotte Chase December 29, 2012 In order to have a discussion about the importance of asking questions in the planning process, it is important to look at the overall impact asking questions has in the learning process itself. The early philosopher Socrates developed a technique of asking questions as a learning method that is still used today, it is called The Socratic Method. Simply explained, â€Å"This method the Socratic Method is named after Greek philosopher Socrates, who taught students by asking question after question, seeking to expose contradictions in the students’ thoughts and ideas to then guide them to arrive at a solid, tenable conclusion. The principle underlying the Socratic Method is that students learn through the use of critical thinking, reasoning, and logic, finding holes in their own theories and then patching them up. We will write a custom essay sample on Asking the Right Questions or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page (Fabio, 2012) The underlying truth here is that to gain understanding in any situation, you must first ask questions. If you do not ask questions, you do not get answers. Without answers you cannot do any successful planning, It is important that planning begins by thinking and â€Å"Thinking is not driven by answers but by questions. Questions define tasks, express problems and delineate issues. Answers on the other hand, often signal a full stop in thought. Only when an answer generates a further question does thought continue its life as such. † (The critical thinking, 2011) If you embrace the concept that successful planning must include asking questions, the next logical step is to identify what questions need to be asked. Questions such as: â€Å"Why do we need to do anything at all? † and â€Å"What are we trying to accomplish? † are critical initial questions. If these questions are not asked and answered, we can find ourselves engaged in a project that is not necessary and does not have an end in mind. In one model of planning, the Plan, Do, Check, Act (PDCA) method; these questions and others are asked in the planning stage. Along with â€Å"why are we doing this? we need to ask ourselves, â€Å"Who is going to do this? What steps or tasks are necessary for completion? When and where are we going to do this and what happens if we don’t? † (Clark, 2010) The answers to these questions provide a framework to successful planning providing common ground and agreement for all parties to work from. Asking these questions in t he planning stage also provides for â€Å"buy in† from the parties that will be responsible for the success of the project. Buy-in has become recognized as a necessary ingredient for successful project implementation. This is well stated in the following comment, â€Å"People will only do what they are comfortable with, to the level they agree with what theyre being told, or the level they understand what theyve heard. Its quite impractical to assume that others will change because theyre told to. † (Morgen, 2010) In order to ensure that your project is successful, we can use the â€Å"check phase† as outlined in the PDCA model. The â€Å"check phase† includes three separate processes: standards (are we meeting the standard we set out to achieve? , performance (is it working the way we intended? ), and adjustment (what do we need to change to accomplish the first two? ). (Clark, 2010). Following this model allows you to measure the success of the project against your intentions. It becomes very clear that in order to identify what you are trying to accomplish, how you intend on accomplishing it, and whether you have accomplished what you set out to do, you must ask questions. References Fabio, M. (2012). About. com. Retrieved from http://lawschool. about. com/od/lawschoolculture/a/socraticmethod. tml Clark, D. (2010, April 2). Leadership and direction. Retrieved from http://www. nwlink. com/~donclark/leader/leaddir. html (n. d. ). Retrieved from http://www. merriam-webster. com/dictionary/socrates Morgen, S. (2010). Buy-in: What is it? and why is it important?. Retrieved from http://www. businessperform. com/articles/change-management/buy-in_to_change. html The critical thinking community. (2011). Retrieved from http://www. criticalthinking. org/pages/the-role-of-questions-in-teaching-thinking-and-learning/524[pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic]