At Catalyst Dallas, John Maxwell spent his Thursday session pouring into us some of the lessons he has learned about leadership. He wasted no time in sharing with us and he started by quickly giving a list of important questions to ask other leaders when you meet with them.

John famously tells the story that when he was starting out in life he wrote to people he viewed as great leaders and people that he could learn a great deal from. He offered them lunch and $100 dollars to meet with him. The ones that accepted, he and his wife used that city as the destination for their vacation so he could meet with them. Over time he developed a set of questions that helped him get the conversation going and to maximize his learning.

Here are the 7 Questions to Ask Leaders
1) What’s the greatest lesson you’ve ever learned?
2) What are you learning now?
3) How has failure shaped your life?
4) Who do you know that I should know?
5) What book should I read?
6) What have you done that I need to do?
7) How can I add value to you?

I feel that you learn the most when you ask the right questions.

I am grateful that Dr. Maxwell shared these questions with us. I hope that they will be a blessing to you as well.