Arthur & Merlin: The Power of Inquiry Leadership

As I have spoken before, the Inquiry Leadership model approaches leadership from the idea of mentoring and developing people. In this model the primary relationship between a leader and employee is as a mentor.In this view the mentee is the hero and the leader is the supporter. I like to think of the relationship between King Arthur and Merlin. Merlin is the mentor, wise and knowledgeable but he is in the background, he takes no credit for Arthur’s victories but he is somewhat behind them. Arthur is the real hero because he has the courage to execute with Merlin’s coaching and support.In the ideal Inquiry Leadership model the leader is mentor to all her/his direct reports, offering and giving support and using the inquiry model to elicit understanding and insight from the mentee (Arthur). This can proceed all the way down the corporate structure with your reports mentoring their direct reports.In this model all leadership must come through the structure, you will be mentoring your reports in mentoring their reports.When I am mentoring a CEO or other leader I fulfill this Merlin role for them. I mentor them on mentoring their reports. Everyone of us needs mentoring, we all can use a Merlin behind the scenes so we can be heroic and do our best.In Inquiry Leadership I suggest that my clients set up the same pattern with their direct reports that I have with them, one hour a week where we ask questions, look into, explore, problem solve and refine, where we use inquiry.When one of my clients has no problem this week I say “great!” now we can do some real work in getting better at something, “what part of what you do shall we work on refining, mastering?” Do this same thing with your reports, set up and maintain a weekly hour that happens no matter what.A place to always start with your direct reports is in prioritization. I find that the thing that will create the most momentum in your company is in teaching and encouraging the right and most important place to use their energy. It is rare that, without mentoring, your employees will be using their energy in the most efficient way on the right priorities. By focusing their energy for the week you will be greatly focusing their potential energy, you may get 50% to 100% more out of them this week, and as an added bonus they will feel like a hero and their job satisfaction and enjoyment will go up.Get great at growing heroes in you organization, be willing to be Merlin and take a back seat, encourage and coach an effective team. Through doing your own work and losing your ego you will start to drop into a wisdom and capacity that is deeper and more profound than what you now know. The Merlin in you will come out as you practice Inquiry Leadership. Stop directing and start mentoring.