Are you a manager? As a general rule, managers don’t ask enough questions. Here’s one killer question that can really make a difference to how you manage your people. The question is, ‘what do you think?’

Now that may seem obvious, but you’ll be amazed how rarely managers ask this question, and perhaps more importantly, when they do – how rarely they seem interested in, or listen to the responses. So when you are asking ‘what do you think?’ ensure that you are really interested, and genuinely listening to what the people say. Even more importantly, that you act on those things where possible.

If people believe that you are genuinely interested and really listening, you’ll be amazed by what will come out. So remember, never forget to ask ‘what do you think?’

Communication skills are a vital part of a successful managers armoury. A good manager will want to know what their people think, and will recognise the high value they place on having their opinions and ideas heard has. Managers not asking enough questions is probably one of the key drivers in low employee engagement rates. After all, most of us work for a manager rather than an organisation. If that relationship is difficult it impacts our performance dramatically.