12MinuteLeadership

Episode 26: Four Questions Every Leader Needs for Change | 12MinuteLeadership

• Elise Boggs Morales • Season 1 • Episode 26

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Change doesn’t stick because leaders fixate on what’s broken. We take a different route: ask better questions, unlock real energy, and turn strengths into results. In this fast, practical walkthrough, we break down appreciative inquiry—the strengths-based approach that transforms organizations, teams, and one-on-one coaching—using four simple phases that anyone can apply today.

In this week's episode, Elise shares a strengths-based approach for leading strategic change that creates energy, buy-in, and real results. Appreciative Inquiry is a strengths-based framework, guided by 4 questions known as the 4 D's. You'll learn how this tool can help you engage and inspire others in strategic change at every level- organizational, within teams, and one-on-ones.

You'll learn-

• Leaders as change agents and why where you focus matters
• Appreciative inquiry explained and why what we focus on grows
• The Four Ds: Discover, Dream, Design, Delivery
• Organizational prompts to align systems with values
• Team agreements to turn collaboration into momentum
• One-on-one coaching questions that build ownership
• Rituals for accountability, progress, and celebration
• Reflection prompts to shift from problems to possibilities

If this episode encouraged you, share it with another leader that's guiding change right now. Go to eliseboggs.com and complete our contact form.
Subscribe to this podcast so you never miss an episode. You can also pick up Elise's new book, Lead Anyone, on Amazon.

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Speaker:

Welcome to the 12-Minute Leadership Podcast, where in 12 minutes or less, I'll share small things that you can put into immediate practice that will make a big difference in your leadership effectiveness. I'm your host, Elise Fogus Morales, leadership professor, consultant, and coach. For the last 17 years, I have helped thousands of leaders level up their influence and achieve remarkable results. If you want to trade compliance for true commitment and create your dream team, you are in the right place. Get ready for a quick hit of practical wisdom to increase your team's engagement, inspire top performance, and retain your best talent. Ready to level up your influence and get better results? 12 minutes starts now. Hi everyone, Elise here. Welcome to episode 26. One of the qualities that separates managers from leaders is that leaders are change agents. They anticipate opportunities and help their organizations evolve through facilitating change. It's one of the most exciting and challenging parts of our role. Today's episode is about one of my favorite frameworks for leading change, appreciative inquiry, and how its four guiding questions can help you create positive, lasting transformation, whether you're leading an organization, a team, or having a one-on-one coaching conversation. We often think of leading change as solving problems. What's broken? What's wrong? What needs to be fixed? Appreciative inquiry turns that approach upside down. Instead of asking what's not working, it begins with the question, what's working and how can we build on it? Because when leaders focus on strengths, success stories, and what gives life to a system, they create energy and engagement that drive real change. So what is appreciative inquiry? Appreciative inquiry, often called AI, and not to be confused with the other AI, is a strengths-based approach to leadership and change built around one powerful idea. What we focus on grows. Developed by David Cooperrider at Case Western University, it starts from the belief that every organization, team, and individual already have strengths and capabilities that can be leveraged for future growth. Instead of asking, how do we fix what's wrong? We ask, how do we amplify what's right? It unfolds through four simple but transformative phases: discover, dream, design, and destiny or delivery. I like delivery better, so we'll go with that. So let's look at how to use each, first at a high level, and then how to apply them across the organization, within teams, and in one-on-one coaching. So here's an overview of the four D's. Phase one is discovery. Our focus in this phase is to identify what gives life. So a guiding question could be what's working well right now? It's always good to build on our areas of strength first. Then phase two is dream. The focus here is envisioning what might be versus fixing what's wrong. Did you notice that difference? And the guiding question here is what could be possible if we built on our strengths. So instead of focusing on what we don't want, we're focusing on a future we do want. Phase three is design. The focus here is co-creating what should be. A guiding question here could be what needs to be in place to make that vision real? This is where we come up with ideas to support the previous phase of dream. And finally, delivery. Commit to what will be is the focus here. And a guiding question is how do we sustain the energy and progress we've created? It also is determining who's going to do what and how we're going to hold ourselves accountable. Now that you know what appreciative inquiry is, I'm going to show you how to apply the four Ds at different levels of your organization. So let's look at how you can customize these same questions to apply at the organizational level, the team level, and for individuals, like in your one-on-one or coaching conversations. So first, at the organizational level, when you're leading system-wide change, let's start with phase one of discovery. Some questions you could ask here are, when has our organization been at its very best and what made that possible? Or what core strengths and values have helped us succeed? We're building on strengths first. Next, we look at the dream phase. Some questions we could ask for the organization are, if we fully lived out our mission, what would our ideal future look like? What would it look like if we became the most trusted or admired organization in our field? Phase three, design, is the nuts and bolts or ideas on how we can make that dream a reality. Some questions we could ask here are, what systems or processes need to evolve to bring that vision to life? How can we align our structure and culture with our values? And finally, delivery. What small steps can we take right now to begin moving towards that vision? Who will help us sustain the momentum and keep us accountable? So this is those 4D questions customized at the organizational level when you're wanting to lead strategic change. So at the organizational level, appreciative inquiry shifts the focus from fixing problems to designing futures together. Now let's look at appreciative inquiry at the team level, which is strengthening collaboration and momentum, is one example. So for discovery phase one, we could ask, when have we been at our best as a team? And what made that collaboration or project so successful? Going into dream? Some questions we could ask here are, what would it look like if we consistently worked that way? What kind of team do we want to be known as across the organization? And design? What habits or agreements will help us stay aligned and effective? How can we communicate and make decisions in a way that builds trust and accountability? And finally, delivery. How can we measure and celebrate progress as a team? What routines or check-ins will help us sustain our success over time? So at the team level, appreciative inquiry helps us move from compliance to commitment. It transforms collaboration into momentum. And finally, I'm going to share with you how to use the four Ds at the individual level for coaching and development. These are great questions to guide your one-on-ones if you're not sure what to do to structure your one-on-ones, which is a common struggle for leaders. So our first questions around discovery. We could ask, what moments or projects have made you feel the most engaged and energized? What strengths do you rely on when you're at your best? Going on to dream? If you could design your ideal role or next chapter, what would it include? Or what kind of impact do you want to have on your team or organization? Going on to design. What steps or resources will help you move into that vision? And what habits or boundaries will support your growth and balance? And finally, delivery. What actions will you take in the next week to get started? How will you stay accountable and celebrate your progress? At the individual level, appreciative inquiry becomes a coaching mindset, helping people reconnect to what's best in them and build from there. One of the things that I love about appreciative inquiry, no matter the application, is that it gets people involved in the process. It gets them started by identifying what we're already good at. Sometimes when we focus on problems, we get tunnel vision and we forget where we're strong. Then instead of focusing on what we're going to fix or what we don't want, we paint a picture of a desired future that we all want. Then we figure out together how to get there and what actions we'll each take to move the vision forward. I love that about this process because it creates really high levels of buy-in and engagement all along the way. Appreciative inquiry reminds us that leadership isn't just about solving problems, it's about amplifying what works. When we lead with curiosity and ask strength-based questions, we invite people to see what's possible, not just what's broken. So here's your reflection question for this week. Where in your leadership could you shift from problem solving to possibility seeking? And one more, what's already working that you could build upon right now? I hope you enjoyed today's episode. If this episode encouraged you, share it with another leader that's guiding change right now. And if you'd like to support bringing your change initiatives forward using this framework, go to elisebogs.com and complete our contact form. I'll see you next time. Like what you heard on today's episode and want to go deeper? Subscribe to this podcast so you never miss an episode. You can also pick up my book, Lead Anyone, on Amazon. Then, go to my website to check out ways that we can support your leadership goals. From executive retreats to customized training and coaching, my team of experts will help you level up your leadership and accelerate your results. Go to www.eliseboggs.com for more info.