This is the second in a series of articles revolving around the topics that will be presented at the 17th Annual Leadership Summit scheduled for September 10-12, 2009 at The Brown Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky.  The program titled, ‘The Strength and Spirit of Leadership in Local Government’ includes underlying themes of change, collaboration, courage and the personal challenges of serving as a leader in local government. 
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Leaders are susceptible to what I call the Woody Allen problem.  This refers the comedian’s description of how he flunked his philosophy exam in college by looking into the soul of the person sitting next to him. Similarly municipal leaders operate in a climate of leadership by bestseller with books and articles encouraging them to look into the leadership of the leader of the moment.

Yet I have found that the most exceptional leaders are those who leverage lessons from the relationship and events of their own lives.  Their capacity to ask questions creates a unique leadership --a wisdom borne of experience.  These leaders display consistent a thought pattern of reflection as a habit of mind by asking leading questions.

Psychologist David Cooperrider has noted that questions are fateful.  The questions we ask drive the solution.  A question is a moment of choice—one that holds the possibility of action and positive change.  When leaders reflect, rather than ruminate, about challenges and problems, they move toward resilient problem solving.

Here’s the drill. Take a moment and reflect on a current challenge in your leadership role by reflecting on seven questions.

What do I/we want more of?  Appreciative Inquiry
Consider the difference between these two questions: ‘what is wrong here?’ ‘And what do I want more of?’  Craft questions so you can ask—and encourage others to ask—for a second helping of what you value or envision. The question of what you want touches on the radical center of leadership.  By asking, you can transform whining, complaining and discouragement into positive engagement.

Who is solving this problem?  Positive deviance inquiry
Frame your questions to suggest behaviors that will bring a solution rather than behaviors that describe the problem. Gary Hamel has suggested that solutions to every problem are present in the situation, and that in every professional and municipal community there are “positive deviants” who are exceptions to the rule. These are the people who are the process of resolving the problem. By discovering the uncommon practices of these people, other individuals and groups can adopt their strategies.

Do I resemble that remark?  Self-appraising inquiry
Groucho Marx famously wiggled his eyebrows after being criticized and admitted, “I resemble that remark.”  The art of reflection resides in recognizing the impact of our behavior on others.

Scan the faces of staff, colleagues or officials to judge the impact of your words and actions. The questions might include:  ‘Why did this staff member suddenly break eye contact during our conversation?’ or ‘did what I say improve the silence or create it?’ Sometimes, this requires taking a third person perspective. For example, if I had been watching myself speak at the neighborhood “meeting from hell,” how would I describe my behavior?

How does this matter?  Mission driven inquiry
Leaders who ask questions can maintain a clear line of sight to their organizational objectives and purpose and stay connected to the personal values that drew them into public works leadership. 

This means asking question to envision the bigger picture: How does this phone call, meeting, budget /training contribute to the work of my department and the quality of life in my community? What are the values that attracted me to this work and how does my work today underline that commitment?

Does my story create option for me?  Bracketing inquiry
Municipal leaders, who deal with a huge cast of characters, must develop the agility to question their own assumptions. This is essential to the capacity to understand the viewpoints of colleagues and constituents. The philosopher Husserl called this “bracketing” and Paula Underwood has created a practical approach to this in the Iroquois thought discipline she calls “the rule of six.”

As a practical matter, the rule of six is driven by the idea that in every situation or interaction there are at least six plausible explanations or stories.  In the midst of a heated or deadlocked situation, leaders can stand back and list 5 or six potential stories besides their own that might explain the situation. They key is answering two questions: ‘what is the story/explanation I am sticking to?’ And, ‘does my story contain an option for solving the problem?’

What will I be doing when this is no longer a problem?  Back to the future Inquiry
Take the next step beyond the conflict or turbulence and picture a future where the problem is transformed.  Your inquiry should delete questions that label upcoming challenges and change as insurmountable.  Pose a question that anticipates —and begins to create—a positive future.  Assume that you will get from there to here.

Imagine this:  It is June 2009. You have met the challenge that is graying your hair. You can ask: ‘What steps did I take to make this possible?’

What have I uncovered that has meaning for me?  Sense-making Inquiry
Pose reflective questions to become a better learner—that is, questions that inspire learning and curiosity.  For example: What ideas are packaged in this new situation?  What new meaning have I uncovered?  How has the loss or change uncovered information about my values and priorities? What have learned that I wouldn’t know otherwise? Can I think of this as research, rather than success or failure?

By using reflection as a habit of mind, questions can become a measure of your leadership and success at problem solving.  Instead of investigating what is wrong and how to fix it, you can ask questions that give meaning, value and direction to your challenges and accomplishments as a leader.

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Barbara Mackoff, Ed.D, is the author of five books including “The Inner Work of Leaders: Leadership as a Habit of Mind.”  Mackoff is a frequent keynote speaker and leadership educator for local government and the public sector including serving on the faculty of the Rocky Mountain Leadership program at the University of Colorado’s School of Public Affairs.  Dr. Mackoff's perspectives on leadership and productivity have been featured on “The Today Show,” “CBS Morning News,” and “All Things Considered” and her work has been profiled in “The New York Times,” “USA Today” and the “Washington Post.”

The annual Leadership Summit is NLC’s primary leadership development program for local officials.  Designed as a leadership retreat, the Summit provides personal leadership development that is focused on community perspectives.  For more information, contact the Leadership Training Institute at (202) 626-3170 or visit the NLC website at www.nlc.org