Leadership through discovery

“Leaders lead by helping the people revisit good questions rather than a quest for the one perfect answer.” - Roy King

While working with a sales team, we were coached never to "jump to fulfillment."  Too often times sales people are eager to provide answers when the client doesn't even know their own problems.  "Jumping to fulfillment" inevitably  meant money was being left on the table either because the sales person didn't understand the scope of the problem, or the client didn't understand the value of services being offered.

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Whether in ministry leadership, pastoral care, or in evangelism the same principle applies.  We want to settle the issue, fix the problem, know the answer.  We want to "jump to fulfillment." 

However, "there are basic questions to assist you in drilling into the biblical perspective on any proposed ministry actions."

• Ministry leadership is best after "collecting and leading by asking questions that prompt the learning of everyone around them."  Understanding the problem from every angle will provide a new perspective.
  
• Pastoral care can begin with a simple "how are you really doing?"  By asking deep questions in a safe environment we can prompt people to remove the masks that blockade true emotional healing.
• Evangelism and apologetics with skeptics is best when the true issue is being discussed.  So many debates are nothing more than a smoke screen for underlying motivates that are never revealed.  Simply asking, "why do you feel that way?" will force the individual to think, question or reveal the foundations (or lack thereof) of their worldview.

(Roy King - Leading by Revisiting Good Questions)