The Top 3 Questions You Want Your Team to Ask Themselves

The Top 3 Questions You Want Your Team to Ask Themselves

Leadership isn’t about having all the answers.

It’s about empowering your team to think, decide, and take action.

You may be thinking: "Yes I do that, but it doesn't always work, because they still come and ask!"

The key here is setting the context and giving them the tools to be empowered.

Many leaders face this same frustration. Not because their team isn’t capable, but because they haven’t yet built the habit of independent thinking.

As a leader, I’m sure you want to have an open door policy; you want to feel approachable.

But more often than not, you want your team to own the issue and get on with it!

There are three main reasons why they don’t take ownership:

1. They don’t want to fail or get it wrong.
2. They avoid full responsibility. By asking you, they shift accountability.
3. They don’t fully trust themselves.

Below are the three questions you want your team to ask themselves before they ask you for help.

These will give them permission to fail, empower them to take action, and help them build trust in their own judgment whilst freeing up your time as a leader to focus on strategy, rather than firefighting daily issues.

Whenever they’d normally come to you for an answer, encourage your team members to ask themselves these three questions first.

1. Knowing "Insert leaders name" what would they say?

This gets them thinking. Since they already know how you approach decisions, it forces them to pause and reflect before instinctively coming to you.

More often than not, they’ll realise they already have a good idea of what your answer would be.

2. If I were to trust myself, what would I do?

You probably trust some of your team members more than they trust themselves. This question puts the ball in their court, encouraging them to lean into their own judgment and instincts rather than second-guessing themselves.

3. What is the worst that can happen if I get this wrong?

Of course, we don’t want our team to fail, but we also know that mistakes are one of the best ways to learn. Some decisions are critical and must be handled with care, but many others are not.

Helping your team distinguish between the two allows them to move faster, make decisions, and grow. Failing fast means making decisions, seeing what works (and what doesn’t), and making progress.

These questions help your team take ownership and develop quicker.

Does this mean you leave them to their own devices?

Not at all.

A well-structured weekly/bi-weekly meeting ensures regular check-ins, reflections, and shared learning, helping the whole team level up.

Try this for the next month:

When a team member comes to you with a question, resist the urge to answer immediately.

Instead, ask them: ‘What do you think?’ and guide them through these three questions.

Watch how their confidence grows and how your leadership becomes more impactful.

Great leadership isn’t about making yourself indispensable, it’s about building a team that thrives without constant direction.

By embedding these three questions into your team culture, you’ll create independent thinkers who take ownership, make smarter decisions, and contribute more effectively.

And the best part?

You’ll finally have the space to lead at your highest level.