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Using Questions to Find Solutions
Amy Stockman explores effective strategies leaders can use to guide employees to find their own solutions.
Featuring:
Amy Stockman
Amy Stockman, Associate Chief Nursing Officer at Premier Health. Transcription:
Bill Klaproth: (Host) So it seems like asking questions to find answers is just common sense. But in business and in life, it doesn't often happen like that. So let's talk with Amy Stockman, Associate Chief Nursing Officer at Premier Health on how to use questions to find solutions. This is Today in Nursing Leadership, a podcast from the American Organization for Nursing Leadership, I'm Bill Klaproth. Amy so great to talk with you thank you for your time, so I guess the first question is how do we use questions to find solutions?
Amy Stockman: (Guest) So I think the first thing about using questions is really thinking about when someone's coming to you with a problem or a concern that they're looking for an answer for. Is really stopping yourself from just responding with an answer of, this is what I would do, or this is what I have done in your situation, really taking the time to lead them through some questions so that they can come to a solution on their own, and that both parties have a deeper and better understanding of the situation.
Host: Okay, so that's interesting. You just said it allows the other person to come to a solution perhaps on their own. So by using this question's type format, if you will, how does that help the other person seeking the solution? It sounds like instead of you just blurting out, here's what I think you should do. It empowers them to come to the solution on their own, is that one of the benefits of this?
Amy: Absolutely, I think empowers is a great word for that. What I have found in working with my team and my peers and the folks that work for me, when we talk about this and we debrief a little bit afterward, it really is about that, I feel like I have the confidence and the knowledge now I know what I'm doing. I feel more comfortable in where I was headed before I even came to you to talk about it. I think the other piece that I watched a lot is the body language through the conversation. And often you can see somebody's eyes light up when they get to that resolution on their own, and what that spark does for them.
Host: So instead of somebody feeling like everybody just tells me what to do, it's like I'm allowed to share in the decision making. So again, back to that empowerment, which kind of, like you said, kind of, you can see the light bulb go off. Hey, I'm a part of the team, I helped come up with a solution, now I'm really excited about implementing it.
Amy: Absolutely, it makes it much more it's my own thought in my own thing, so now I'm going to go do, you're exactly right.
Host: This is fascinating. Can you give us an example of someone who came to you with a problem and how you used questions to help find a solution?
Amy: Sure. so in my work with nurse leaders, often someone will come to me and talk about someone that works for them that they're struggling with. A situation that comes to mind is recently I had a nursing director who was struggling a little bit with the nurse manager, really owning her business and being able to speak to the results in the work happening in her department. And the leader asked me, what should I do? And instead of again, telling her what I would have done or have done in the past. I asked her first, so tell me what you mean by you're having trouble with this nurse manager. That was really an attempt to get some more information out of her about where the manager is struggling, have her put some different words around it. And from there, the conversation went very much into what would you have liked to have seen from the nurse manager? What were your expectations, what do you think she needs to do differently? So asking questions like that to just probe in with the leader. Where we eventually came to the resolution that the expectations were very clear to this manager. She was really struggling with being able to do the work. And so that led from a conversation that may have happened. Very much. we need you to talk more about what you're doing too. Let's talk about where you're struggling and getting the work done and being able to put all the pieces together and help all parties be successful.
Host: So it sounds like this is also an exercise in listening. Cause you're asking, a clarifying question, if you will, and then you're sitting back and listening and let that other person talk and everybody likes to be heard. Just by the act of sitting back and listening that is empowering and a benefit to the other person too, is that right?
Amy: Yes, I'd absolutely agree with that. I think that's probably as much as using the probing questions that listening and having them a reframe in their mind and letting them get out everything they're thinking. And, have somebody hear it and respond rather than react to it is very helpful.
Host: Yeah, really interesting. So how can someone learn more about this, or how can someone start to put this into practice?
Amy: So I think the first thing is, really thinking about the conversations you're having with people and it takes a lot of practice that can be uncomfortable at first to not just give advice when someone's coming to you for that, to take that step back and think about how you just ask one more probing question, or even putting their words into a little different word, to get some more detail out of it. It does take lots of practice. I often will write myself down some kind of starter questions. If I have an idea of why someone's coming again, asking about, tell me more about what you're having trouble with or if they're looking if they're struggling with something, is there something you're afraid of? Are you missing information you need? How can I help you with that? The other thing that I have found very helpful, but it works in parallel with this is the use of appreciative inquiry, which is really a technique around asking questions and focusing on the end result and really a positive end result versus a negative. And dovetailing those two together has been very helpful to me. There's a lot of literature out there about the appreciative inquiry topic.
Host: So it sounds like using questions to find solutions has been very beneficial to you.
Amy: I have found for myself; it helps me to think differently. I've watched my team grow and their confidence in their decision-making processes and leaps and bounds. And, I think it's just been a really great, change to the way that I manage and lead through situations.
Host: Well, this seems like such a useful and easy practice to put into place using questions to find solutions. And it's not like you've got to take a yearlong course. It's just asking and listening and then helping that other person come to their own conclusions and guiding that process.
Amy: You're exactly right. There is nothing too difficult about it, just takes a little practice.
Host: I love it. You're like our question and answer sensei. Amy, thank you so much, this has really been informative, thank you again.
Amy: Thank you.
Host: That's Amy Stockman. And for more information, please visit AONL.org. And if you found this podcast helpful, please share it on your social channels and check out the full podcast library for topics of interest to you. This is Today in Nursing Leadership. Thanks for listening.
Bill Klaproth: (Host) So it seems like asking questions to find answers is just common sense. But in business and in life, it doesn't often happen like that. So let's talk with Amy Stockman, Associate Chief Nursing Officer at Premier Health on how to use questions to find solutions. This is Today in Nursing Leadership, a podcast from the American Organization for Nursing Leadership, I'm Bill Klaproth. Amy so great to talk with you thank you for your time, so I guess the first question is how do we use questions to find solutions?
Amy Stockman: (Guest) So I think the first thing about using questions is really thinking about when someone's coming to you with a problem or a concern that they're looking for an answer for. Is really stopping yourself from just responding with an answer of, this is what I would do, or this is what I have done in your situation, really taking the time to lead them through some questions so that they can come to a solution on their own, and that both parties have a deeper and better understanding of the situation.
Host: Okay, so that's interesting. You just said it allows the other person to come to a solution perhaps on their own. So by using this question's type format, if you will, how does that help the other person seeking the solution? It sounds like instead of you just blurting out, here's what I think you should do. It empowers them to come to the solution on their own, is that one of the benefits of this?
Amy: Absolutely, I think empowers is a great word for that. What I have found in working with my team and my peers and the folks that work for me, when we talk about this and we debrief a little bit afterward, it really is about that, I feel like I have the confidence and the knowledge now I know what I'm doing. I feel more comfortable in where I was headed before I even came to you to talk about it. I think the other piece that I watched a lot is the body language through the conversation. And often you can see somebody's eyes light up when they get to that resolution on their own, and what that spark does for them.
Host: So instead of somebody feeling like everybody just tells me what to do, it's like I'm allowed to share in the decision making. So again, back to that empowerment, which kind of, like you said, kind of, you can see the light bulb go off. Hey, I'm a part of the team, I helped come up with a solution, now I'm really excited about implementing it.
Amy: Absolutely, it makes it much more it's my own thought in my own thing, so now I'm going to go do, you're exactly right.
Host: This is fascinating. Can you give us an example of someone who came to you with a problem and how you used questions to help find a solution?
Amy: Sure. so in my work with nurse leaders, often someone will come to me and talk about someone that works for them that they're struggling with. A situation that comes to mind is recently I had a nursing director who was struggling a little bit with the nurse manager, really owning her business and being able to speak to the results in the work happening in her department. And the leader asked me, what should I do? And instead of again, telling her what I would have done or have done in the past. I asked her first, so tell me what you mean by you're having trouble with this nurse manager. That was really an attempt to get some more information out of her about where the manager is struggling, have her put some different words around it. And from there, the conversation went very much into what would you have liked to have seen from the nurse manager? What were your expectations, what do you think she needs to do differently? So asking questions like that to just probe in with the leader. Where we eventually came to the resolution that the expectations were very clear to this manager. She was really struggling with being able to do the work. And so that led from a conversation that may have happened. Very much. we need you to talk more about what you're doing too. Let's talk about where you're struggling and getting the work done and being able to put all the pieces together and help all parties be successful.
Host: So it sounds like this is also an exercise in listening. Cause you're asking, a clarifying question, if you will, and then you're sitting back and listening and let that other person talk and everybody likes to be heard. Just by the act of sitting back and listening that is empowering and a benefit to the other person too, is that right?
Amy: Yes, I'd absolutely agree with that. I think that's probably as much as using the probing questions that listening and having them a reframe in their mind and letting them get out everything they're thinking. And, have somebody hear it and respond rather than react to it is very helpful.
Host: Yeah, really interesting. So how can someone learn more about this, or how can someone start to put this into practice?
Amy: So I think the first thing is, really thinking about the conversations you're having with people and it takes a lot of practice that can be uncomfortable at first to not just give advice when someone's coming to you for that, to take that step back and think about how you just ask one more probing question, or even putting their words into a little different word, to get some more detail out of it. It does take lots of practice. I often will write myself down some kind of starter questions. If I have an idea of why someone's coming again, asking about, tell me more about what you're having trouble with or if they're looking if they're struggling with something, is there something you're afraid of? Are you missing information you need? How can I help you with that? The other thing that I have found very helpful, but it works in parallel with this is the use of appreciative inquiry, which is really a technique around asking questions and focusing on the end result and really a positive end result versus a negative. And dovetailing those two together has been very helpful to me. There's a lot of literature out there about the appreciative inquiry topic.
Host: So it sounds like using questions to find solutions has been very beneficial to you.
Amy: I have found for myself; it helps me to think differently. I've watched my team grow and their confidence in their decision-making processes and leaps and bounds. And, I think it's just been a really great, change to the way that I manage and lead through situations.
Host: Well, this seems like such a useful and easy practice to put into place using questions to find solutions. And it's not like you've got to take a yearlong course. It's just asking and listening and then helping that other person come to their own conclusions and guiding that process.
Amy: You're exactly right. There is nothing too difficult about it, just takes a little practice.
Host: I love it. You're like our question and answer sensei. Amy, thank you so much, this has really been informative, thank you again.
Amy: Thank you.
Host: That's Amy Stockman. And for more information, please visit AONL.org. And if you found this podcast helpful, please share it on your social channels and check out the full podcast library for topics of interest to you. This is Today in Nursing Leadership. Thanks for listening.