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There's an art to asking questions. Briefings are valuable but normally communicate primarily what the subordinate leader wants you to know, and often the picture they provide is incomplete.
Stanley A. Mcchrystal
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Interpretation

What this quote means

The quote emphasizes the importance of asking questions to gain a complete understanding of a situation.

Stanley A. McChrystal highlights the significance of inquiry in leadership and communication. While briefings can provide useful information, they may also be biased or one-dimensional, reflecting only what the presenter deems important. By encouraging questions, leaders can uncover deeper insights and ensure a more comprehensive understanding of the issues at hand.

Themes

QuestionsLeadershipCommunicationUnderstandingInquiry

In practice

Example use cases

In a team meeting, I might say, 'As McChrystal suggests, we should prioritize asking questions to fully grasp the project's scope.'

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When you go through some controversy and you see your face on the news in a negative way for 48 hours... you doubt yourself. And your friends make the difference. They become a safety net that come in and say, 'That's not the case.' And the relationships that you've built... come to the fore.
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The basic DNA we've got to implant in leaders now is adaptability: not to get wedded to the solution to a particular problem, because not only the problem but the solution changes day to day. Creating people who are hardwired for that is going to be our challenge for the future.
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If every soldier is authorized to make one mistake, then we lose the war.
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