Now that you know the GROW framework, let's master the art of asking powerful questions. The quality of your questions determines the depth of insight your engineers discover.
Powerful questions unlock thinking rather than just gathering information.
Engagement Message
What's the difference between "Is the feature done?" and "What was the most interesting problem you solved while building that feature?"
Open-ended questions start conversations, while closed questions end them. "Did you fix the bug?" gets a yes/no. "What was the root cause you discovered?" opens up a learning opportunity.
Open-ended questions typically start with What, How, When, Where, or Who.
Engagement Message
Which question type do you use more often in your current conversations?
Non-leading questions let people reach their own conclusions. Leading questions push toward your preferred answer.
Leading: "Don't you think we should use microservices for this?" Non-leading: "What architectural patterns have you considered for this problem?"
Engagement Message
Can you spot how the non-leading version creates more authentic discovery?
For Goal questions, help them get specific and meaningful. Instead of "What's your goal?" try "What would a successful v1 of this system look like?"
Other powerful Goal questions: "What outcome would make this refactor worthwhile?" or "How will we measure the performance improvement?"
Engagement Message
What makes these questions more effective than simply asking "What do you want?"
For Reality questions, explore the current situation without judgment. "What part of the codebase is working well?" and "What are the biggest technical risks right now?" create honest assessment.
Avoid "Why didn't you write a unit test for that?" which triggers defensiveness. Focus on understanding, not evaluating.
