--- title: Why Great Bosses Don't Tell You What To Do description: Most bosses do all the talking. Your job is to do only 20% of the talking. The only way to make that happen is to ask questions instead of making statements. image: http://www.eosworldwide.com/hubfs/Blog_Featured_Images/great-boss-asks-questions.jpg --- - [2020 EOS Conference](https://eosconference.com/) - Request a Speaker - [Become an EOS Implementer](https://eosi.eosworldwide.com) - [Find an EOS Implementer](https://eosimplementers.com/) - Contact - [**Login to Base Camp**](https://bc.eosworldwide.com) - [Base Camp](https://www.eosworldwide.com/base-camp-overview) - [Blog](https://info.eosworldwide.com/blog) [MENU](https://info.eosworldwide.com/blog/why-great-bosses-dont-tell-you-what-to-do#sidr) - What is EOS? - [EOS Model](https://eosworldwide.hs-sites.com/eos-model) - [EOS Process](https://eosworldwide.hs-sites.com/eos-process) - [EOS Toolbox](https://eosworldwide.hs-sites.com/eos-toolbox) - [EOS History & Team](https://eosworldwide.hs-sites.com/eos-story-team) - [EOS Implementers](https://eosworldwide.hs-sites.com/what-is-an-eos-implementer) - Why EOS Works - [Why EOS Works](https://eosworldwide.hs-sites.com/why-eos-works) - [Real World Results](https://eosworldwide.hs-sites.com/testimonials) - [EOS Books](https://www.eosworldwide.com/traction-library) - [EOS Tools](https://www.eosworldwide.com/eos-tools) - [Base Camp](https://www.eosworldwide.com/base-camp-overview) - [**Get Started**](https://eosworldwide.hs-sites.com/get-started) - [Find an EOS Implementer](https://www.eosimplementers.com) - [Become an Implementer](https://eosi.eosworldwide.com) - [Contact](https://eosworldwide.hs-sites.com/contact) - [Base Camp Login](https://basecamp.eosworldwide.com) - [Blog](http://blog.eosworldwide.com) - [Request a Speaker](https://www.eosworldwide.com/book-a-speaker) - [2020EOS Conference](https://eosconference.com/) Close ![Header-Placeholder.jpg](https://info.eosworldwide.com/hs-fs/hubfs/eos-blog2.jpg?width=1678&name=eos-blog2.jpg "Header-Placeholder.jpg") ## EOS Worldwide Blog Advice and Insight for Entrepreneurs and Leadership Teams ##### Search the Blog : # [Why Great Bosses Don't Tell You What To Do](https://info.eosworldwide.com/blog/why-great-bosses-dont-tell-you-what-to-do) Written by[Rene Boer](https://info.eosworldwide.com/blog/author/rene-boer) on September 15, 2016 - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) [EOS](https://info.eosworldwide.com/blog/topic/eos) [Leadership](https://info.eosworldwide.com/blog/topic/leadership) [Management](https://info.eosworldwide.com/blog/topic/management) [How to Be a Great Boss](https://info.eosworldwide.com/blog/topic/how-to-be-a-great-boss) ![Female boss listening to two employees ](http://www.eosworldwide.com/hubfs/Blog_Featured_Images/great-boss-asks-questions.jpg "Female boss listening to two employees ")If you’re like most bosses, you do most of the talking. Frankly, this one-way-street behavior needs to change. Your job is to ensure that the dialogue is 80/20, where your direct report is doing 80% of the talking and you’re talking only 20% of the time. The only way to make that happen is to ask questions instead of making statements. ## The Value of Asking Questions Ask “why, who, what, where, and when” questions. The typical boss, when presented with a problem, makes statements such as, “You should have done this …” or “Don’t do that…” You’ll be amazed what happens when an issue is brought to you, and instead of making a “you should have” statement, you [ask the person a question](http://www.forbes.com/sites/avidan/2013/03/03/good-managers-listen-great-managers-ask-questions/#c87839b40546) along the lines of: “Knowing what you know now, what would you do differently next time?” Or, “What would you do?” Get them to answer the question. [They’ll become more independent](https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/225519). The more they talk, the more they will convince themselves they can handle their own issues. You’ll have fewer issues to deal with and you’ll get more things done. For instance, imagine yourself as a boss dealing with someone who is repeatedly late for work. It’s negatively affecting your entire department because other people have to fill in for him by taking incoming calls. When you meet with him, begin the dialogue by asking him what is causing him to be late. He tells you that there are mornings when he, not his spouse, is responsible for getting their kids off to school. You ask him what he would be able to do to get his kids off early enough for him to get to work on time. By asking him what he would do, you are in effect asking him to commit to his own plan for being on time. ## Built-in Accountability Think about it. Who owns the issue and the solution? He does. He’s making a decision to be more responsible. And, he’s holding himself accountable to live up to his word. Asking him to solve his problem is more effective than repeatedly telling him to be on time. One [great boss](https://www.eosworldwide.com/great-boss-book) who mastered this communication method had it validated when her direct report said out of the blue, “I just want to say thank you for never dictating or telling me what to do.” Are you asking them or telling them? Ask first. Give it a try and let us know how it’s working for you. ## Next Steps - Download this revealing infographic on the [leadership and management practices of a great boss](https://traction.eosworldwide.com/great-boss-infographic) - Discover how to be a great boss—download a free chapter of *[How to Be a Great Boss](https://www.eosworldwide.com/great-boss-book)* --- More Blog Posts: ← [Four Ways the “Blame Game” Can Kill Your Business](http://blog.eosworldwide.com/blog/four-ways-blame-game-kill-your-business) | [Do You Have a Business Team That Can Win?](http://blog.eosworldwide.com/blog/do-you-have-business-team-that-can-win) → ![eos-tools-dark.jpg](http://www.eosworldwide.com/hubfs/eos-tools-dark.jpg "eos-tools-dark.jpg") ## Unlock The Toolbox. Simple tools that empower entrepreneurs to get what they want from their businesses. 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