“Gary Cohen's “Just Ask” approach to leadership made me question my own habit of leading by example. Is it not more proactive to lead by provoking a response instead of requesting a spectator? And, is it not ultimately more productive by reacting to new solutions instead of judging redundancies?”
Vance Van Petten,
Executive Director of the PGA
“Gary's concept of Just Ask Leadership is new and illuminating. It is what we do as leaders. Gary has brought unconscious competence in the world of leadership into our consciousness.”
Matt Wisk,
CMO United Online (NetZero)
“Just Ask: Greatness Happens When You Ask”
New Book by Executive Coach Gary Cohen
I have written a book on leadership called “Just Ask: Greatness Happens When You Ask”
“Just Ask” reflects my belief that leaders today should spend the vast majority of time asking questions and not telling people what to do. Question-based leadership requires putting your ego aside, but the rewards are considerable. You will see improvement in all these areas: trust, empowerment, motivation, cooperation, inspiration, courage, decision making, problem solving, direction setting, resource allocation, and more.
By asking questions and empowering your employees, you will reap the benefits of their productivity and creativity. When everybody has a hand in an organization’s decisions and future, their work is produced with the richness of a live performance. They improvise solutions when mistakes happen and respond to feedback. The more decision-makers you have, the more likely faulty assumptions will be uncovered and amended.
The right question can ignite imagination, empower, inspire, provoke, demand, convince, delay, or change focus—both in you and your employees. After all, open-ended questions engage the responder and the asker. They enable both to work together toward an uncertain and exciting end.
Your chances of asking high-quality, open-ended questions improves significantly if you’re aware of three dynamic processes: gaining perspective, evaluating performance, and conducting energy. These aren’t roles the leader plays; they are interwoven, interactive processes that should be instilled in the whole organization.
Best Regards,
Gary B. Cohen