Be the Bright Shadow
Edith Wharton once said: “There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it”.
The STAR® Program teaches you the art of asking stimulating and insightful questions. Imagine that your whole workplace is asking stimulating and insightful questions going forward. The positive impact on your organization’s culture is beyond imagination. Yet, someone has to be the first to start this new leadership style. You could be that person. And be the bright shadow. How so, you may ask?
Be the Bright Shadow
Imagine, every time you ask a colleague an insightful question, you positively impact their way of thinking. Perhaps you even create a lightbulb moment for them. And that’s just the start.
Asking such insightful questions is like a light from a torch that shines on them. It illuminates that person’s thinking. While shining a torch on this person, a shadow will be casted on people standing behind this person. This is the bright shadow. The positive impact on this person can have a cascade effect on to these persons standing behind the person. In other words, the positive impact starts to spread. Your organization’s culture starts changing.
Stimulating and Insightful Questions
During the STAR® Program you learn about the affect of asking stimulating and insightful questions. More engaged and empowered team members is just one of the impactful examples of the affect of asking stimulating and insightful questions.
As leaders and managers around you see people behaving differently, they want to learn and use the technique themselves. The process of asking stimulating questions spreads, which changes the culture of how people talk to each other.
New and innovative ideas flow from this. It increases employee engagement. Productivity and performance levels increase. Not just at an individual level, but also at a team level.
Sometimes this illumination happens organically. Sometimes it is done purposefully. Holding leaders and managers accountable, accelerates the cascade effect. Furthermore, the spreading of the new way of asking questions, rarely needs to be forced upon. Instead, others see the new behavior and seek ways to also jump on the new bandwagon of applying the new way of asking questions technique.
The Answer is a Question
In the book “The Answer is a Question” of Laura and Dominic Ashley-Timms, stories and case studies are shared from STAR® Program alumni. Each with their own version of how they became the bright shadow and the impact it generated.
The stories shared have in common that the insightful and stimulating questions asked come with a sense of authenticity which increases a person’s trustworthiness. Furthermore, the resulting culture that is created is one of productivity, inclusiveness, and collaboration.
When considering these impactful outcomes, it pays to stop oneself and others and remind yourself or your peers to ask insightful and stimulating questions, instead of demeaning and demanding style questions. These are the coachable moments one learns during the STAR® Program.
Don’t forget, if you need any advice or support simply hop on to a learning station, read our blog, or contact us. We’re always happy to help.
