1. The 3 Questions Show The Welcome Slide
Say Thanks everyone for coming. I really appreciate it. [If snack is served: Everybody grab a snack and get seated. We will get started in about 5 minutes.]
Wait about 7 minutes
Say We will get started in just a couple of minutes. Before we get started, I just wanted to thank you again for coming. The purpose of these meetings is for us to take a few minutes to reflect on what it means to be a good leader, to remind ourselves of some of the fundamentals of good leadership, and to practice these fundamentals to build strong habits.

2. Interview guide (Pick One)
Do you have what You Need?
Do Hand out one Action + Leadership Journal to each participant and ask everyone to pick a partner.
Say For the next few minutes we are going to do some quick interviews with each other. The interview questions are on the 3 Questions Exercise (page 5 in your Action + Leadership Journal). Ask your partner one question and jot down a few notes on the guide as they answer. Once you get through the question, switch roles and let your partner interview you. Have them pick a different question. We will take about 5 minutes per interview. When we finish with the interviews we’re going to go around the room and share what each of us learned about our partner.
Give people 10 minutes to complete interview. Let them know when 4 minutes pass (one minute to switch), at 5 minutes (switch interviewer) and when 1 minute remains.
What Would Make Work Better?
Where Are You going?

3. Discussion Share Your partner’s Answer
Say What did each of you learn during the interview with your partner? Next, we’re going to go around the room and take about a minute to summarize what each of our partners shared. What do they need that they’re not currently getting? What could make their work better? And what’s their next goal? As you listen to some of the needs of your coworkers, consider whether you may be able to help them out. We may not have time to dive into those details during today’s meeting, but make a note about it. Commit to follow up with each other later.
Facilitate Discussion (Use Facilitation Tips in the Appendix)
Thank each person for sharing.
Encourage people to think about ways to help.
If things are slow, mention a way you can help someone with their need. That can help get the ball rolling.
This should take around 1 minute per participant, or no more than 10 minutes total.
How did it feel to share your need, frustration or goal?
How did it feel when others could help? When You could help others?

4. Embed the video clip for this week in this slide
Video Placeholder
Say Now we are going to watch a quick video about these 3 Questions and how important they are for leaders – and other humans.
Play Video Clip (VIDEO SCRIPT FOLLOWS BELOW)
Can 3 simple questions improve your leadership? Hi! I’m Phil Wilson, author of the Approachable Leadership Playbook. I hope you enjoyed learning the three questions of approachable leaders. I’d like to tell you briefly about why these questions are so important. These questions are based on some profound assumptions about human nature. Before I get into it, I should let you know that you may not be interested in what I’m about to teach you. This will only be relevant to people who want to make more money, want to live longer and happier, and who enjoy having sex. If that’s you, let’s get to it.
The first question is “Do you have what you need?” This is the resource question. It is based on what I call The Hero Assumption. In other words, nobody wakes up thinking they are the villain of their story. The best leaders know that if a teammate is struggling it’s not because they are a bad person, or a villain trying to chisel the company. Instead these leaders assume that their teammate is the hero. This means the hero has to overcome some obstacle to succeed. Our job as leaders is to help them overcome the obstacle. This question is based on something called the Pygmalion Effect – sometimes called the self-fulfilling prophecy. And the research on this is stunning. The bottom line is that if you assume your teammate wants to do great work it is likely they will. If instead you assume they don’t care about their work you are just as likely to see poor performance. We sometimes think we have no power when we actually are powerful beyond our imagination.
The second question is “What would make work better?” The assumption here is that our job is to reduce friction. I call this The PITA Principle. Leaders must constantly seek to remove things that are a Pain in the Ass for our teammates. People put up with all kinds of frustrations every day – they often just accept these frustrations as part of the job. But just asking this simple question can start a powerful conversation that can remove that frustration forever. Even if you can’t get rid of every frustration, just having the conversation often makes things better. You just did it. How did you feel? And when you can make things a little better, it’s worth it. These small changes often pay big dividends.
The third question is “Where are you going?” The assumption here is that people want to make progress. It is based on The Progress Principle. Leaders must also look to help teammates reach their goals. Nothing is more motivating for us humans. It is literally written into our DNA. Remember that this isn’t always a work-related discussion. Your teammates have goals and purpose outside of work. What can you do to help them with those goals? Whether your focus is on work or personal goals, these discussions can be some of the most important you can have with your team. Help your teammates make progress and they will have motivation to burn. They’ll also run through a brick wall for you. That’s the power of the Progress Principle.
Asking these questions isn’t just good for your leadership. They have some interesting let’s say “personal benefits” as well. For example, did you know approachable people make more money? They do. Studies show they are more likely to get hired and less likely to be laid off compared to other more qualified people. Another study shows they make higher commissions. Their lifetime earnings are higher. Not only that, they are also healthier and happier. A Canadian study found that approachable people get better medical care. They have lower incidences of chronic health conditions like heart disease and cancer. They are less likely to suffer from depression, anxiety, or commit suicide. And a University of Michigan study finds that elderly people with connections have a 60% lower mortality rate. Finally, approachable people have better love lives. Approachable people are more likely to get a date over people rated as more attractive. They are more likely to be in an intimate relationship and they report higher levels of intimacy. They have 50% lower divorce rates.
Do you have what you need? What would make your work better? Where are you going? These questions are powerful. However, sometimes people don’t feel like these questions are natural for them. That’s why I encourage you to make them your own. You’ll get a chance to do that in the next exercise. I encourage you to commit to asking the questions of approachable leaders. If you do this you will not only make more money, live longer and happier, and be luckier in love. You will also be a much better leader.
Embed the video clip for this week in this slide

5. 1 2 3 Three Questions Tool Review the tool
Refer to The 3 Questions Tool
Say Let’s take a few minutes and work on making the 3 questions your own. You can find the 3 Questions Tool on page 6 in your Action + Leadership Journal. Take a couple of minutes to review the tool. There you will see multiple versions of the questions. Circle any of them that seem comfortable to you. Then work with a partner and brainstorm 2 or 3 other ways to ask each question.
Give people 5 minutes to brainstorm 2-3 questions
Facilitate Discussion
Say What questions did you come up with? Let’s get some examples from around the room. As people share, write down any you think could work for you.
Encourage people to contribute.
You can ask leading questions like, “are you more comfortable with these questions?” or “do any of the questions feel uncomfortable?”
This discussion should take 3-5 minutes.
circle any questions you think aren’t in your own words 2
Come up with 2-3 options to ask the same thing in your own way 3

6. Action + Leadership Journal
How to use your journal
Refer to the 3 Questions Exercise Guide
Hand Out Action + Leadership Journal
Pick someone to be your accountability partner for this month. It is bestto pick someone from this room, but you can write down someone else if you think they are more likely to hold you accountable. Turn to pages 7 and 8 of your Action + Leadership Journal. Think quietly for a minute or two about your most important takeaway from our discussion today. What is one thing you plan to do over the next few weeks based on what you learned today? Write that down in your Action + Leadership Journal. Next, write down one obstacle that could get in the way of you following through on your commitment. Finally, write down your plan to overcome that obstacle. Take two minutes to fill out those sections.
Choose a Co-Mentor
Name your number one takeaway from today’s Learn and Lead Huddle
What is the biggest impact you expect from what you learned today?
What obstacle could get in the way? What’s your game plan to overcome that obstacle?
Fill out the to-do items in your Action + Leadership Journal: 1) Ask the 3 questions each week 2) Follow up with your Co-Mentor 3) Journal about your week

7. Final thoughts?
Facilitate Discussion Say Let’s go around the room. Share your number one takeaway from today and what you plan to work on for the next month. Let’s each commit to help each other with these goals for the next month.
Conclude Session Say Thanks everyone for your own personal leadership in giving your time and attention today. I am excited to get together next month to see how we are doing with the three questions. It is so important for us to take a few minutes out of our month to just get a little better at leadership. Thanks a lot and I look forward to seeing you next month!

8. Following is the review slide for insertion into the next Huddle deck

9. The 3 questions great leaders ask
Do you have what You Need?
Say Our last Learn and Lead Huddle covered the Three Questions of Approachable Leaders. Can you remember what the three questions are? [IMPORTANT: Don’t Advance Slide Until After People Have Guessed at the Three Questions]
Discussion Give the team a minute to come up with the three questions.
Say That’s right. The three questions are: Do you have what you need? What would make work better? Where are you goingNow tell me, can you remember the assumptions behind the three questions? ? [IMPORTANT: Don’t Advance Slide Until After People Have Guessed at the Three Assumptions]
Discussion Give the team a minute to come up with the three assumptions.
Say The three assumptions are: The Hero Assumption (nobody wakes up thinking they are the villain of their story); The Friction Assumption (my job is to reduce friction – we also talked about the PITA principle which stands for Pain in the A**); and The Progress Principle (people are motivated by making progress).
Say What was your experience using the three questions over the last month? What went well? What did you learn? What were your key takeaways for the month?
Discussion Give the team 3-5 minutes to discuss their experience.
The Hero Assumption – nobody is the villain of their story
What Would Make Work Better?
My job is to reduce friction – the pita principle
Where Are You going?
The progress principle – people want to make progress