The Two Questions I Asked My Class

Want to be a better leader? Every year, I have the privilege of teaching communication, teamwork, and leadership skills to engineering students at Boise State University. In their final class, I leave them with two powerful questions to reflect on—questions that can transform the way we lead and collaborate.

Now, I want to ask you the same two questions to help you reflect and elevate your leadership skills.

• Read the video transcript

  Well, every year one of the best parts about my job is that I get to teach a class to some Boise State University students. And this class is not in the business school. It's not in the communication school? No, it is in the engineering school. It is with some senior engineering students in their capstone seminar as they prepare to enter the world of work.

  The focus of the classes is on communication skills, teaming skills and leadership skills. And to close out all of the classes, all of the modules that I teach, I boil it down to two questions at the very end of their last class, and since their last class with me is this week, I want to ask you the same two questions.

  Those two things to reflect on are, one, what words would I want my employees or my peers, my colleagues to use to describe me? What are two words that I would want them to use to describe me as their boss or as their teammate? And then the second question is, how do I want my employees or my team members to feel working with me? How do I want them to feel when they're collaborating with me on a project, when they're meeting with me one-on-one, whatever it might be. What would be two words that I would want them to use to describe how it feels working with me?

  These are two powerful reflection questions that can help us focus on better leadership of self and leadership of others.