Leading with questions instead of leading with answers is a powerful practice.
Sure, in times of crisis, steady, knowing leadership is calming and often necessary.
But the pressure to have all the answers all the time limits creativity and possibility.
Having the capacity to ask questions instead of offering all the answers is what brings out the best in you and those around you.
When you move from a position of knowing to one of curiosity you build trust, both within yourself and in those around you.
Not knowing all the answers has the ability to deepen team cohesion and cultivate creativity and innovation that would never have come from you trying to figure it all out on your own.
Yet so many leaders feel a responsibility to have everything figured out and they push themselves to exhaustion for fear of anyone finding out that they don’t have all the answers.
But courage reminds us that there is a different way to lead and it supports our ability to be vulnerable and say, “I don’t know.”
Today’s guest spent a year doing just that as a way to deepen her recovery and capacity to lead herself and others well.
Terces Engelhart is the founder of Cafe Gratitude and Gracias Madre plant-based restaurants. Her heart is in serving others and her life’s lessons are the springboard of the stories she shares where her challenges have become opportunities. In 2014 she participated in TEDx at Occidental College. She recently launched her podcast called Unreasonably Grateful. Her calling is to help people trust their inner guidance. She is an author, speaker, wife, mother and grandmother of thirteen. She lives and works on their organic farm, Be Love Farm, with her husband, Matthew, in Vacaville, Ca.
Listen to the full episode to hear:
- How Terces processed a betrayal in her team by committing to let go, but keep caring
- Four directives that have guided her recovery and the way she lives today
- How her love of learning helps Terces keep going, and start over when she fails
- How answering questions with “I don’t know” helped her heal a need for control
- Why Terces sees generosity and gratitude as states of flow
Content note: This episode discusses eating disorders, sexual abuse and addiction.
Learn more about Terces Engelhart:
- TercesEngelhart.com
- Be Love Farm
- Instagram: @terces @BeLoveFarm
- Unreasonably Grateful Podcast
Learn more about Rebecca:
Resources:
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