A2: Email and async channels
Use when: A request lands in your inbox or chat and the ask is unclear.
The questions
- What outcome are you aiming for?
- How urgent is this, and what deadline are you working against?
- What context would be most helpful for me to understand first?
- What do you want from me: a decision, input, or simply awareness?
- What constraints should I assume (time, budget, policy, dependencies)?
- What options have you considered, and what are the trade-offs as you see them?
- If I summarize my understanding as X, is that accurate?
- Who else should be looped in, and who just needs an FYI?
- What does "done" look like here, and how will we measure it?
Research basis
Brooks and John 2018; Coleman 2022; Gallo 2024; Google re:Work; CIPD 2026; Brodrick 2024
Get the full field guide
The complete PDF covers 24 situations, 153 questions, and the four listening moves (reflect, summarize, validate, clarify). Download The Questions Leaders Ask field guide.
Workshop
Want your leaders practicing these out loud, with their team in the room? See how Kestryl Edge workshops work.