410 - We Have to Take The Responsibility to Ask as the CEO of an Organization
Great leaders don’t assume—they ask. This episode explores why CEOs must take responsibility for asking the right questions to drive business success. Learn how clear communication with teams, partners, and clients can unlock new opportunities and improve decision-making.
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We Have to Take The Responsibility to Ask as the CEO of an Organization
As a CEO, you might feel like you’ve “made it.” You’ve built a company, led teams, and secured key partnerships. But there’s one simple yet often overlooked skill that separates great leaders from the rest—the responsibility to ask.
Too often, leaders assume that their team, board members, or clients inherently understand their needs and goals. After all, they’re smart, experienced professionals, right? The truth is, clarity comes from direct communication. If you don’t ask for what you need—whether it’s a strategic partnership, a team solution, or client engagement—it simply won’t happen.
The best CEOs don’t leave opportunities on the table. They take the initiative to ask:
• To business partners: “Would you be interested in collaborating on this project?”
• To teams: “How do we solve this problem together?”
• To clients: “What do you need from us to create more value?”
Assumptions lead to missed opportunities. Questions drive growth. The responsibility to ask lies with the leader, and mastering this habit can transform decision-making, communication, and business success.
Are you asking the right questions?
Highlights:
00:00 The Importance of Asking for What You Want
00:08 Asking in a Business Context
00:29 Taking Responsibility for Communication
00:43 The Misconception of Assumed Understanding
00:56 Final Thoughts on Asking
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Transcript:
If you don't ask for what you want, it's not going to happen. That's it. Period. It's true. Even if you're a CEO of a company and you have made it for most of the people, you understand you have to ask for what you want. That can be talking to business partners, talking to clients. If you don't ask them, Hey, would you be interested to partner on this topic?
It's not going to happen. If you don't ask your assistant, your team members, your executive board for how do we solve your responsibility to ask people for what you want to drive towards. And sometimes we are just thinking, but they should understand this because they're smart and they're in executive positions, they're clients, they should all understand this.
I get it. It's still not going to happen if you don't take responsibility for asking.