Craig Groeschel

You have to work at it because people are going to defer to you and you're going to start thinking you know more and you don't. And first of all, if you're more important than everybody thinks you are, you start to think you know more than you do. And it's stupid, but you don't know. You're always a student.

Secondly, if you're not careful, your questions, you'll be asking questions, and the people you're asking to, they'll actually feel like you're attacking them. Or you're giving orders. These are two risks. You're asking questions to your team members, and they feel like, oh, I'm on the defense. Why is she asking me these questions? Or you come in asking questions, and it feels like orders.

Secondly, if you're not careful, your questions, you'll be asking questions, and the people you're asking to, they'll actually feel like you're attacking them. Or you're giving orders. These are two risks. You're asking questions to your team members, and they feel like, oh, I'm on the defense. Why is she asking me these questions? Or you come in asking questions, and it feels like orders.

Secondly, if you're not careful, your questions, you'll be asking questions, and the people you're asking to, they'll actually feel like you're attacking them. Or you're giving orders. These are two risks. You're asking questions to your team members, and they feel like, oh, I'm on the defense. Why is she asking me these questions? Or you come in asking questions, and it feels like orders.

I'll give you a kind of example. What you want to do is, if you're going to be asking a lot of questions, you want to work to create a climate of trust and safety. What I'll do if I've got a lot of questions for somebody, I'll typically say something like this, like, hey, I'm going to ask you some questions, and the reason is because you're really smart.

I'll give you a kind of example. What you want to do is, if you're going to be asking a lot of questions, you want to work to create a climate of trust and safety. What I'll do if I've got a lot of questions for somebody, I'll typically say something like this, like, hey, I'm going to ask you some questions, and the reason is because you're really smart.

I'll give you a kind of example. What you want to do is, if you're going to be asking a lot of questions, you want to work to create a climate of trust and safety. What I'll do if I've got a lot of questions for somebody, I'll typically say something like this, like, hey, I'm going to ask you some questions, and the reason is because you're really smart.

I'm going to ask you questions because I truly value your insight, and I love the way you think. A lot of people just see problems, but you don't just see problems, you see solutions. And so if it's OK with you, would you spend a few minutes and help teach me what you see that I'm not seeing?

I'm going to ask you questions because I truly value your insight, and I love the way you think. A lot of people just see problems, but you don't just see problems, you see solutions. And so if it's OK with you, would you spend a few minutes and help teach me what you see that I'm not seeing?

I'm going to ask you questions because I truly value your insight, and I love the way you think. A lot of people just see problems, but you don't just see problems, you see solutions. And so if it's OK with you, would you spend a few minutes and help teach me what you see that I'm not seeing?

So what I did there in something like that is I actually mean it, I'm trying to value the person, but I'm creating a climate where you're like going, oh yeah, he's not in here to catch me, he's in here because he values me. And if you don't do this, and you come in firing questions, a lot of people, they just are gonna feel defensive. Like, he's asking me all these questions, I must be in trouble.

So what I did there in something like that is I actually mean it, I'm trying to value the person, but I'm creating a climate where you're like going, oh yeah, he's not in here to catch me, he's in here because he values me. And if you don't do this, and you come in firing questions, a lot of people, they just are gonna feel defensive. Like, he's asking me all these questions, I must be in trouble.

So what I did there in something like that is I actually mean it, I'm trying to value the person, but I'm creating a climate where you're like going, oh yeah, he's not in here to catch me, he's in here because he values me. And if you don't do this, and you come in firing questions, a lot of people, they just are gonna feel defensive. Like, he's asking me all these questions, I must be in trouble.

Or, this is another category, you'll ask a sincere question, and you know what they're gonna hear? They don't hear a question. They hear a command. And this is really, really common. True story. Bobby Grunewald is a close friend of mine, worked with me for 25 years. He's the creator of the YouVersion Bible app.

Or, this is another category, you'll ask a sincere question, and you know what they're gonna hear? They don't hear a question. They hear a command. And this is really, really common. True story. Bobby Grunewald is a close friend of mine, worked with me for 25 years. He's the creator of the YouVersion Bible app.

Or, this is another category, you'll ask a sincere question, and you know what they're gonna hear? They don't hear a question. They hear a command. And this is really, really common. True story. Bobby Grunewald is a close friend of mine, worked with me for 25 years. He's the creator of the YouVersion Bible app.

There was a time when he was over new construction, so all the buildings that we'd be building. He walked into a new auditorium, and they were painting it, and he came and he said, hey, why are you guys using this color? I thought we were going to try a different color. And he was just curious. He wasn't even sure. He's like, I think we were going to try a different one. I wasn't sure.

There was a time when he was over new construction, so all the buildings that we'd be building. He walked into a new auditorium, and they were painting it, and he came and he said, hey, why are you guys using this color? I thought we were going to try a different color. And he was just curious. He wasn't even sure. He's like, I think we were going to try a different one. I wasn't sure.

There was a time when he was over new construction, so all the buildings that we'd be building. He walked into a new auditorium, and they were painting it, and he came and he said, hey, why are you guys using this color? I thought we were going to try a different color. And he was just curious. He wasn't even sure. He's like, I think we were going to try a different one. I wasn't sure.

And so he was just asking a question. You know what happened? The team repainted the whole auditorium with a different color just because he asked a question. And so you have to be really, really careful and just understand how other people feel on the other side of your questions. And on another level, you're gonna have to work hard just to create a climate where people feel