The more status a leader holds in any organization or team, the more the information they receive is filtered. In other words, team members are notoriously reluctant to share their candid views upward. Even when attempting to be frank, team members commonly withhold some information or put a more positive spin on it. Truth has various shades, and those with lower status protect themselves by offering less light than would be ideal.
This is solid advice. It's akin to making a presentation (whether it's a sales pitch or a board presentation), and finishing with "Do you have any questions?" The danger, of course, is for people to say no or simply not answer. The better phrase is "What questions do you have for me?"
When you empower people to develop their own questions and feedback, you open up a whole range of commentary that you might not have been aware of. Plus, they feel like they're not cornered into a binary yes/no or good/bad response.
This is solid advice. It's akin to making a presentation (whether it's a sales pitch or a board presentation), and finishing with "Do you have any questions?" The danger, of course, is for people to say no or simply not answer. The better phrase is "What questions do you have for me?"
When you empower people to develop their own questions and feedback, you open up a whole range of commentary that you might not have been aware of. Plus, they feel like they're not cornered into a binary yes/no or good/bad response.