Did you know that asking good questions helps encourage personal responsibility?

When your questions guide someone toward an action plan that addresses a specific concern, the situation remains their problem. One of the questions is usually “What do you think you need to do about this?”

For the third grader who forgot his homework, the sixteen year old who was ticketed for speeding or the co-worker who missed a deadline, helping them assume ownership of a solution is a critical step that ultimately enriches life.

When helicopter parents (or bosses) rush in with quick solutions, they sabotage this painful, but necessary process. Good questions, more thinking and squirming through the consequences stimulate discerning responsibility.

It is not a quick fix, but it is a wise choice.

~ Ken Horton

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the second installment in a four-part series about questions.