Tell less. Ask more.

Note: You know when you get that song in your head and it just won’t go away? Sorry! – Julie Wolpers, Editor at Advantage

When Alexander Hamilton meets Aaron Burr in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s epic Broadway musical, Hamilton, he gets some advice in the form of a song from the man who would become his nemesis and killer.

“Talk less. Smile more. Don’t let them know what you’re against or what you’re for.”

Those unforgettable lyrics that foreshadow the show’s inevitable conclusion have been running through my head a lot these days. Not just because I enjoy the soundtrack almost every time I swim laps. And not just because it seems to suit the climate for the primary election today in my state.

I’ve been thinking of those words since our webinar last Thursday with one of the world’s top thinkers on leadership, the one and only Liz Wiseman, who said something almost similar and now I’m singing that same song over and over in my head except with her words:

“Tell less. Ask more. … Hmmm hmmm hmmmm hmmm hmmm hmmm hmmm hmm hmm hmm hmm.” (The second part doesn’t really fit so I just hum that.)

The webinar, we called it Multipliers Among Us, was about how leaders in the throes of a pandemic need more than ever to become multipliers of talent who can inspire their people toward greater capabilities as they lead them through the storm.

Liz and her collaborator/partner at The Wiseman Group Shawn Vanderhoven culled through more than 250 responses from a registration survey we created to help them get a feel for what, exactly, leaders are struggling with right now so they could directly address some of those struggles during the session.

The biggest takeaway, literally and figuratively, from the call with Liz and Shawn, was their advice to leaders to ask more questions. “When things have gone really wrong, don’t lecture. Just ask and explore,” they explained.

“What do you think? … What risks do you see? … Where might the data be misleading us right now? … (and this one, especially, every day) … How are you?”

A lot of times, questions are the answer – especially when things are going really well or when they’re going wrong.

Did you miss the webinar? Revisit it here and get our special “coronavirus crisis edition” Multipliers takeaway, which includes a video about and list of back pocket questions Liz and Shawn suggest leaders have on hand at all times so you can be ready to go into coaching mode at a moment’s notice.

Listen to Liz and Shawn!