034: Does Asking The Right Question Beat Giving The Right Answer?

This episode is a bold challenge to the myth that leaders need to have all the answers. Erik breaks down the real reason many leaders avoid tough conversations—and how a single mindset shift can radically reduce stress, spark better performance, and create more self-sufficient teams. This is about turning pressure into presence, and questions into your most powerful leadership tool.

❓ The Big Question

What if your best move as a leader wasn’t saying something smart—but asking something better?

💡 Key Takeaways

• Stop solving everything yourself: You're not a bottleneck. You’re a facilitator.
• Open-ended questions change the game: They create clarity, agency, and alignment.
• Closed-ended questions kill conversations: Stop asking "did you…" and start asking "how could you…"
• Asking buys time: In high-stakes moments, good questions give you room to think.
• Empowered teams perform better: When people create their own solutions, they own the outcomes.

🧠 Concepts, Curves, and Frameworks

• Open-Ended vs Closed-Ended: Use the "Five W’s + H" (Who, What, When, Where, Why, How) to unlock thinking.
• Visual Anchor Technique: Write those five words down and put them in your workspace as a reminder.
• The “Curse of Knowledge” Trap: When you know the answer, it’s harder to ask a great question—don’t fall for it.
• Leadership Reframe: Your value isn’t in having all the answers—it’s in drawing the best ones out of others.

🔁 Real-Life Reflections

• Erik shares how leading a team he didn’t have technical answers for became his best leadership lesson.
• He reflects on how solving everything for his team created bottlenecks—and how asking saved time and built trust.
• He acknowledges how hard it can be to not answer when you think you know the fix, but how powerful it is when you don’t.

🧰 Put This Into Practice

• Write down the words: Who, What, When, Where, How. Put it in front of you. Use it daily.
• Before you “fix” something, ask one open-ended question first.
• Practice flipping closed questions (e.g., “Did you try…?” → “How might you try…?”)
• In your next 1:1, speak 30% less—ask 3x more questions.
• Watch how people shift when they’re invited to think, not just comply.

🗣️ Favorite Quotes

“You don’t need the perfect plan. You need the right question.”

“We love our own ideas. If you can make it theirs, they’ll probably do it.”

“Asking a question buys you time—and raises the ceiling of possibility.”

“You’re not supposed to be the genius with all the answers. You’re supposed to unleash the genius in the room.”

“Write it down: who, what, when, where, how. That’s your new leadership toolkit.”