What Happens When You Turn Your Statement Into a Question?

Your teams engagement is influenced by you…and not so much by what you SAY as by what you ASK!

Thinking back to the most recent one-on-one conversation you’ve had with a staff member, what percentage of time did you spend listening over talking?

If you answered 80% or more, you’re amazing! 🤗

Are You Asking or Telling?

Ok, what about this question…

Of the time you spent talking, were you asking questions or were you making statements? (i.e. giving advice, offering opinion, telling a story or instructing what to do)

If you answered 80% or more, you’re even more amazing!

But, perhaps you’re the leader that talks more than you listen or tells more than you ask and maybe you’ve never really considered the downside of doing all that.

Why Coaching is More Effective Than Conducting

So here’s the thing…

If you’re looking to build (or maintain) a dynamic, cohesive and engaged culture, then you’re going to need to coach more than you conduct.

In a recent Gallup poll, they found that 70% of a team’s engagement is influenced by managers – i.e. ‘you’!

They also found that the expectation is “for the manager to be more of a coach than a boss”.

Turning Statements into Questions

So how do you shift from telling to asking? It’s simpler than you think!

Take a common statement you might say as a leader and flip it into a question.

• Instead of: “We need to focus more on customer satisfaction.”
  Try: “What do you think would improve customer satisfaction?”

• Instead of: “You should prioritise this task first.”
  Try: “Which task do you think is the most important to tackle first, and why?”

• Instead of: “That’s not the best approach.”
  Try: “What challenges do you see with this approach?”

By reframing statements into questions, you create space for thinking, ownership, and problem-solving. You show your team that their ideas matter, that you trust their judgment, and that they have the ability to find solutions themselves.

And when your team feels empowered? That’s when engagement skyrockets.

The Key to Coaching: Questions and Listening

And the first thing to know about coaching is that the conversation is made up of asking questions and listening – then asking more questions and listening more.

It’s about expanding perspective and choice and allowing your staff to come up with the answers and required path forward, rather than simply telling them what to do.

Why This Approach Works

So, why does this matter? Because when you ask instead of tell, you create a culture where:

✅ Employees feel valued. When they are asked for their thoughts and ideas, they feel like an important part of the team.

✅ Problem-solving skills improve. When employees are encouraged to think critically, they build confidence in making decisions.

✅ Engagement and accountability increase. People are more likely to follow through on solutions they’ve come up with themselves.

✅ Trust grows. A leader who listens is a leader people trust. And trust is the foundation of any high-performing team.

✅ You save time in the long run. When your team learns to think independently, they become less reliant on you for answers—freeing you up to focus on bigger picture leadership.

So… start with a single question…then ask another…and another…and see what happens!

Stay awesome!

About the Author: Shelley Flett – Leadership Development Expert

Shelley Flett is your trusted coach and trainer for all things leadership development and team performance. Operating her practice since 2015, she has worked with hundreds of challenges across just as many organisations and loves to watch leaders grow and teams transform!

Find out more about how Shelley can support you and your team click on this link to Shelley’s Essemy profile.