The loaded question. Remove it from your kit bag. Toss it in the shredder.
"Is this a loaded question sir?" I would ask this jokingly of a leader of mine. It meant that I wanted to know if an ass-chewing would follow my answer. It was funny in those situations but I was on the receiving end of some serious loaded questions in my career and I found each one of them inappropriate and unprofessional.
I found a good definition on the website, Fallacy in Logic. "A loaded question is a type of trick question: it is designed to imply something that the interrogee probably disagrees with and make the listeners into believing that the implication is true. Moreover, it is typically made in a way that protects the person doing the questioning." Loaded questions are often used in debates to trip up an opponent. They have no place in leadership. Here are a few examples.
"Where in the shared file did you place this briefing this morning?" The questioner believes that the respondent has not done this and may, through this question, be implying that the respondent has repeatedly failed at doing this.
"How long is the briefing going to take this time (this being emphasized)?" The questioner in this case implies that the briefing, like all of the other briefings delivered by the respondent will take too long.
Questioning people as leaders is our duty but we ought to use caution. Loaded questions like these can erode trust and psychological safety, two essential (and fragile) ingredients to leader-led relationships and healthy workplace climates.
Presenting doubts and accusations through loaded questions only means the suspected deficiency has not been previously addressed. That is a failure of leadership. Toss this approach in the shredder. Coach your leaders never to use loaded questions.
Make it Personal!
Rob
Rob Campbell