Leadership is Language: Problem with Binary Questions

These are notes from L. David Marquet’s book: Leadership is Language. The first set of notes start at understanding Red & Blue.

I realize having binary yes/no type questions for my child has a similar effect as I ask binary yes/no questions to adults: binary yes/no questions create an environment of coercion.

Worst of all, most of the answers to my questions tend to “yes” - so my child will automatically answer yes if they don’t want an interrogation.

As a leader, I want a collaborative environment. I want other opinions. I want team members to tell me when things are wrong. I want a “no” when I am making the wrong decision.

This is the same for my child. I want them to feel engaged with me, they can tell me when something is wrong, that they are a person too.

How do I fix the binary question problem? By Practicing