Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you’re struggling to “make an impression” or influence others?

Sometimes, a well-phrased question is all you need.

In my experience, when I stop “telling” and start “asking,” it shifts the entire dynamic of the interaction and produces excellent results.

But “any ol’ question” won’t do the trick!

Invite the other person to share their view of success.

These “success-based questions” work for a variety of reasons:

• First of all, asking the question gets them thinking about what success looks like and sharing some valuable information you can build upon.  
• Secondly, since you are the person in front of them asking them about success, they start picturing YOU within their vision of success as someone that could help them achieve it.  
• Thirdly, authentically asking the question and being curious about the response gives you confidence that you can help deliver success.  
• And finally, it makes you memorable in a positive way.  

Whenever I ask success-based questions, the other person comments, “nobody has asked me that question before,” and it leaves a positive impression because they remember the question I asked.  

Below are some of my favorite success-based questions and the results they have delivered for me.

Job Interview

Question: Assume you’ve hired me for this role. What could I do within my first 90-days on the job that would exceed your expectations and affirm that you hired the right person?

Results: I’ve used this several times and always got the job! I focused on delivering their results within 90-days and established a positive brand reputation within the company. 

Career Conversation

Question: What behaviors could I demonstrate, and what results could I achieve to indicate that I’m ready for the next leadership level?

Results: My most dramatic example of using this question was receiving a promotion within DAYS of the conversation! It made my boss realize that I was already performing at the next level. In other situations, this question led to fantastic development conversations that put me on the path to my next promotion, usually within one year of the initial discussion.

Budget Request

Question: Assume that you granted this budget request. In what ways, both financial and non-financial, would you view this as money well spent?

Results: I ask this question while my boss considers the request. It helps her think about “return on investment” instead of “expense,” which leads to gaining approval. Due to this simple question, my employers have spent tens of thousands of dollars on my professional development.

Senior Leader Visibility

Question: How can I contribute to the company’s success and help us exceed our goals over the coming year? 

Results: I asked this question in a town hall meeting led by the CEO. He stopped by my desk a week later, greeted me by name, and told me how much he appreciated my excellent question. Talk about leaving a positive impression! He didn’t know who I was when I asked the question. He told me that he asked around to figure out who I was and where to find me because he wanted to thank me for my question and share that he saw a bright future for me with the company.

Coaching Session

Question: Imagine we’re in our last coaching session, wrapping up our time together, and we’re celebrating your successes and accomplishments that you’ve been able to achieve as a result of working together. Describe for me what we’re celebrating.

Results: This question helps my coaching clients stay focused on what they want to accomplish and take the appropriate actions to achieve their desired results. We revisit this at the end of the coaching engagement, and 100% of my clients achieved the goals they shared during that initial conversation!

Keep in mind that it’s not only about asking powerful success-based questions but also about:

1. Actively listening to the answer, and 
2. Putting the right actions into place to achieve a successful outcome.   

I encourage you to STEAL SHAMELESSLY and build upon these ideas for success-based questions. 

Please drop me a note to share your questions and the results!