"The leader of the past may have been a person who knows how to tell, but the leader of the future will be a person who knows how to ask." – Peter Drucker

I received this quote earlier and it prompted me to consider the style of leaders today. If the leaders of the past knew how to tell, and the leaders of the future know how to ask, what do the leaders of today know?
Are leaders today somewhere in between asking and telling, some midway point on a scale between the two styles? If so, I guess that suggests some knowledge of how to ask!

So, what more do today’s leaders need to know about how to ask, for them to be a future leader? 

Is it perhaps how to ask a powerful question? One that will motivate the recipient to think for themselves, take accountability and commit to deliver. The type of question that demonstrates such a strong belief in the potential of those people they lead, that it serves to inspire and engage them. One that short circuits the pattern of being told what to do that has been prevalent in organisations for many generations.

And what of those people in the future that are to be led….what will they know that is different from those people in past times?

Food for thought…