🔍 Summary

Most leaders think their job is to provide answers. But great leadership begins with better questions—ones that surface clarity, unlock new thinking, and change the course of a conversation.

In this opening episode, James shares a real moment from a team meeting where one powerful question broke through noise and sparked a better strategy. If you want to lead with intention, this is your starting point.

💡 Insight

The next question you ask could be the one that changes everything.

🧭 Reflection Prompt

What question do you need to ask—before this conversation ends?

This episode is part of the “Earned Authority” arc—a short series on how real leadership is earned, not granted.

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Welcome to Leadership in 5.

Today’s insight: The next question changes everything.

Here’s what I’ve learned—sometimes the difference between a stuck team and a high-performing one isn’t skill.

It’s not resources. It’s not effort.

It’s the quality of the questions being asked.

Most leaders default to statements.

“Let’s stay focused.”

“We just need to execute.”

“Let’s make sure we’re aligned.”

But those aren’t strategies. They’re soundbites.

And repeating them doesn’t move people forward—it just adds noise.

In a real team setting—like the one I sat in just a few weeks ago—

there was tension.

One leader thought the issue was pricing. Another thought it was sales process.

So they kept debating. Around and around.

Until someone finally asked:

“What problem is the customer actually trying to solve?”

Silence.

Then clarity.

Within 10 minutes, the team scrapped the original plan and created one that was simpler, smarter, and actually aligned to the customer’s need.

One question did that.

That’s the power you carry as a leader—when you stop trying to be the one with all the answers,

and start being the one who asks the question no one else sees coming.

But here’s the part no one tells you:

The right question doesn’t make you look smarter.

It makes you more honest.

It exposes what’s unclear. What’s unspoken. What’s misaligned.

And that’s uncomfortable for a lot of leaders—especially founders—

because it threatens control.

But the moment you step into that discomfort, something shifts.

Because real leadership isn’t about knowing everything.

It’s about seeing clearly.

And clarity begins with the next question.

So here’s yours today:

What question do I need to ask—before this conversation ends?

That’s how you prevent drift.

That’s how you unlock movement.

That’s how you lead with intention.

The next question isn’t just a tool—it’s a turning point.

The next question changes everything.

Worth thinking about.