Nick Owen - Professional Development - Leadership Development Framework

Action Inquiry

The Syntax of Leadership

Action Inquiry offers four parts of speech, a grammar of leadership strategy, to draw the best from leaders and top teams. Action Inquiry ensures that the very best is extracted from the resources available, that the decisions made are fully endorsed by the whole executive, so that the confidence that comes when top teams are fully integrated into the decision making process can naturally emerge.

Framing focuses our attention.
Advocating focuses our thinking.
Illustrating allows us to sense our own and others’ performance.
Inquiring is guided by our concern to hear the experience of others, and to get feedback on the impact of our actions on others and the external environment.

Most leaders ask questions rhetorically, or make it clear what answer they want. Far better to encourage others to actively disconfirm their assumptions. Far better to recognise that the resources available in the team should be accessed and thoughtfully engaged with.

When leaders use the elements of Action Inquiry, they either get agreement and know they can move forward with full support, or they get feedback that the task they face is one of active negotiation.

If your frames are challenged, excellent. Switch from focusing on your own viewpoint and listen to how others frame, advocate and illustrate the issue. This process is much more likely to allow leaders to move forward with wisdom and strength, with the confidence of knowing the whole leadership team is with them, not against them.