We collected questions from members of Apolitical’s Leaders and Managers Community, as well as from the public servants who’ve authored articles on Apolitical. Most are written for a leader to ask their team, but many work just as well asked of a manager, a peer or yourself. Read them, then choose one to ask every week.
1. Questions to inspire innovation and creativity
Leaders ask their team to think big and to think about the outcome. The motivation to serve the public is exactly why many people choose to work in government. While it’s tempting to think about just the insurmountable barriers, good leadership often means inspiring and exploring the realm of seemingly impossible. Consider asking:
- If there were no barriers, what project or programme would you like to work on?
- How can we be more driven by questions which don’t have any answer?
- What problem are we actually trying to solve?
- In a one-to-one, ask your direct report, peer or manager to describe a recent work event. Then ask how they interpreted it, how it made them feel and how it affected their motivation.
From a community member:
“Sometimes the wild ideas can be achievable once you discuss them and figure out what resources you have to put to that project.”
On Apolitical: Experiment and fail well: seven ways to get public servants innovating · How to avoid group-think in government
2. Questions for career growth
The role of leaders is to help those working for and around them with skill development so that teams are filled with capable leaders at all levels. These questions help a leader learn what someone wants, so they know which doors to open. Consider asking:
- Imagine you and I designed a highly effective working relationship together. What would it look like?
- Are you getting the development opportunities you want?
- Is there something you're not working on now that you'd like to work on?
- What do you consider your top three strengths and your main areas for growth?
On Apolitical: Apolitical's user manual template · 5 ways to grow in the public service beyond your job description
3. Questions for better workload management
Much of what fills a team's week is decided by factors outside of the team’s control: legislation, political leaders, auditors or another department. Within that cone of control, however, good leadership can mean helping those around you balance their workload. Asking the right questions also reveals the boundaries of what’s possible for a team to feasibly accomplish. Consider asking:
- What are you losing time on?
- What's on your "to-don't" list as well as your to-do list?
- How can we do something once and complete several tasks with it?
- How will we know if [the goal or project] is working?
- What do you need from me to be successful?
- What do you find overwhelming right now, and how can I help?
From a community member:
“We're good at adding responsibilities but less disciplined about retiring work that no longer delivers value. Capacity isn't just about adding resources. It's also about making choices.”
On Apolitical: How to be supportive without being a micromanager · What does it really mean for government to be efficient?
Two habits that make the questions work
Treat other leaders as peers. Community members advise managers to “build a managerial support network that consists of managers within your organisation and those with similar functional responsibilities outside of your organisation.” Some leaders go further and coach each other in pairs, using the seven questions of supportive trellising to create a coaching habit.
Bring an open mind to every conversation. “Don't assume that the communications expert wants to remain forever in communications. Don't assume that a younger employee will be better at tech. Don't assume that someone you've chosen as a future leader in the organisation is actually interested or ready for that.”
Choose one question for this week
Which of these would you have been glad to be asked last month? Ask that one, at the same point each week, and notice how the answers change. Join the Leaders and Managers Community to compare notes with public servants who lead teams around the world. To go further, take the People Management for Public Servants course.
This article was written with the help of AI for editorial support.
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