Humility and inquiry aren’t usually associated with effective leadership. The traditional view is “loud”: vision, setting goals, and driving the team towards success. However, this overlooks a crucial but “quieter” aspect: asking questions and listening.
Humble Inquiry, developed by Edgar Schein, challenges the traditional view by emphasizing how humility and curiosity create psychological safety. In this post, I look at why humble inquiry matters in leadership, its key components, and how to develop it.
What is humble inquiry
Silence speaks volumes. People often choose to keep quiet about work problems, fearing it won't make a difference or backfire. This silence isn't just uncomfortable and inefficient — it can be hazardous.
Why is this?
There is too much advocacy and not enough inquiry. Leaders are traditionally seen as the bearers of knowledge, direction, and solutions—roles that inherently favor telling (advocacy) over inquiry. Most managers “know” the importance of questions and listening from training or coaching. But the art of asking gets overshadowed by a dominant culture of telling.
To change this, a good place to start is what Professor Emeritus at MIT Edgar Schein called “humble inquiry.” Schein researched organizations and human interactions for over 50 years. He defined humble inquiry as:
…the fine art of drawing someone out, of asking questions to which you do not already know the answer, of building a relationship based on curiosity and interest in the other person.
Humble Inquiry reframes leadership as a continuous dialogue, where asking thoughtful, open-ended questions is the cornerstone of effective decision-making and relationship-building. When done with humility and intent, it's a foundational leadership tool that builds trust, creates psychological safety, and opens information channels.
Why modern leadership requires humble inquiry
As Schein put it, leaders are predisposed to telling rather than asking and thus most at need to learn Humble Inquiry:
I now realize that the issue of asking versus telling is really a fundamental issue in human relations, and that it applies to all of us all the time. What we choose to ask, when we ask, what our underlying attitude is as we ask—all are key to relationship building, to communication, and to task performance.
…it is leaders who will need Humble Inquiry most because complex interdependent tasks will require building positive, trusting relationships with subordinates to facilitate good upward communication. And without good upward communication, organizations can be neither effective nor safe. [1]
Asking as an antidote
In disasters like airline crashes and chemical spills, the absence of upward communication is a recurring theme. Lower-ranking employees often had the critical knowledge to prevent failures but chose silence out of fear or frustration.
Power asymmetry breeds distance, and it’s the leader’s responsibility to bridge that gap by inviting others into dialogue, especially those lower in the hierarchy.
Humble Inquiry asks leaders to acknowledge they don’t know everything and, in doing so, create psychological safety for others to share crucial information. This runs counter to traditional leadership models that glorify certainty and control. It emphasizes vulnerability as a skill, not something to avoid.
Going from transactional to relational
Not all questions are created equal. Transactional ones—those asked with an expected answer already in mind—are shallow. Leaders might ask, "Can we meet this deadline?" knowing they expect the answer to be "yes." These questions reveal little about hidden challenges or untapped ideas.
Humble Inquiry means asking questions with genuine curiosity, no pre-existing agenda, and an openness to unexpected answers.
When you ask, "What are we missing?" or "What could go wrong here?" you signal that you are not merely seeking confirmation but are open to learning something new. This builds relational depth.
More power you have, more you must ask
By its very nature, leadership make inquiry harder. Leaders are expected to be decisive and knowledgeable. But this creates a paradox: the higher you rise in an organization, the more critical it becomes to ask questions, and yet the less likely you are to do so.
In complexity, synthesizing diverse insights, not individual brilliance, drives success. The appearance of knowing is less important than tapping collective knowledge. Thus, leadership is not about broadcasting wisdom but instead about orchestrating differing perspectives. And this can only be achieved by asking questions that draw them out.
Questions as radical
In cultures that overvalue telling, humble inquiry from leaders is radical. By asking rather than telling, you disrupt the status quo. It shifts the power dynamics and balances the playing field, signaling that you want contributions from everyone.
Asking encourages deeper thinking and ownership of contributions, and shifts the act of inquiry from passive information gathering to active leadership.
How asking transforms leadership
As basic as it sounds, Schein highlights how asking is transformative in relationships and leadership:
- Shifting power: When leaders ask rather than tell, it shifts the power dynamics. Asking puts the other person in control, signaling that their knowledge or perspective is valued. This act of temporary empowerment is crucial for establishing an equitable relationship where all parties contribute meaningfully.
- Showing vulnerability: By asking a question, leaders admit they don’t know something or need input from others. This feels risky. However, it creates a deeper connection because it invites others to actively participate in solving problems and providing insights. It signals humility and a willingness to learn, which builds trust.
- Building trust: Relationships grow through successive cycles of asking and listening. Each time you ask a question, you invest attention in the other person. When they respond with something new or useful, it generates a positive exchange, strengthening the relationship. This process builds trust, as both parties gain value from the exchange: one by receiving information, the other by feeling heard and acknowledged.
- Balancing interactions: In many cultures, particularly in hierarchical ones, telling (rather than asking) is more common. It implies superiority in knowledge or status, while asking acknowledges the other person’s contribution. Asking, rather than telling, helps avoid unintended offense or dismissal of another’s knowledge, creating a more balanced interaction.
- Investing attention: Humble Inquiry requires an upfront investment of attention from the person asking. By asking a thoughtful question, the leader conveys, "I am prepared to listen to you." This attentiveness invites the other to share information, creating a trust cycle. The leader's willingness to genuinely listen and engage signals that they value the relationship, not just a transaction of information.
- Overcoming barriers: Asking is effective in overcoming communication barriers like hierarchy, fear, and cultural differences. Subordinates hesitate to speak up, especially if they feel their input isn’t valued or fear repercussions. By asking questions, leaders break down these barriers, encourage open dialogue, and ensure important information reaches them.
Telling often places the other person in a passive role and can unintentionally degrade their status. In contrast, asking creates active engagement and shows respect for the other’s expertise. This shift from an unconscious habit of telling to a cultivated practice of asking creates the foundation for genuine, trusting relationships.
So how can you improve at humble inquiry? Schein differentiates between different kinds of humility and inquiry that are the foundation of humble inquiry.
Three types of humility
Leaders struggle with humble inquiry due to a limited understanding of humility itself. Many mistakenly view it as the antithesis of positional power, rather than recognizing it as a complementary strength. This misconception comes from a lack of nuanced vocabulary around humility in leadership contexts.
Schein outlines three types of humility, each with unique implications for leadership. The third type (here-and-now humility) is key to humble inquiry.
Humility, in the most general sense, refers to granting someone else a higher status than one claims for oneself. To be humiliated means to be publicly deprived of one’s claimed status, to lose face. It is unacceptable in all cultures to humiliate another person, but the rules for what constitutes humiliation vary among cultures due to differences in how status is granted.
Therefore, to understand Humble Inquiry, we need to distinguish three kinds of humility based on three kinds of status… [1]
1. Basic humility
Rooted in traditional societies, this form of humility stems from status based on birth or social position. It's not chosen, but accepted or resented based on cultural norms.
2. Optional humility
More prevalent in achievement-oriented societies, this type arises from admiration or envy of others' accomplishments. It's a personal choice to grant higher status to someone based on their expertise or contributions.
3. Here-and-now humility
This form of humility, and the basis of Humble Inquiry, comes from a situational dependence on others. Amy Edmondson calls this Situational Humility, a key pillar in her psychological safety framework.
Here-and-now Humility is how I feel when I am dependent on you. My status is inferior to yours at this moment because you know something or can do something that I need in order to accomplish some task or goal that I have chosen. You have the power to help or hinder me in the achievement of goals that I have chosen and have committed to.
I have to be humble because I am temporarily dependent on you. Here I also have a choice. I can either not commit to tasks that make me dependent on others, or I can deny the dependency, avoid feeling humble, fail to get what I need, and, thereby, fail to accomplish the task or unwittingly sabotage it. Unfortunately people often would rather fail than to admit their dependency on someone else. [1]
In teams with high interdependence (e.g. doctors and nurses in the operating room), recognizing and accepting situational humility is vital for psychological safety.
This humility, not rooted in fixed status, recognizes that in specific contexts we depend on others’ input, skills, or information to achieve our goals. It is dynamic as status shifts based on our immediate needs.
Leaders resist here-and-now humility because it implies vulnerability and dependence—qualities that contradict conventional leadership ideals. This is especially challenging when we value self-sufficiency and knowledge.
Situational humility empowers others to speak up, offer feedback, and share knowledge without fear of retribution or dismissal. This is crucial in high-stakes environments (e.g., medical teams, aviation, crisis management), where failure to communicate across hierarchical boundaries can lead to disastrous outcomes.
The four forms of inquiry
The way we ask questions reveals our underlying motives and attitudes, which either strengthen or weaken the relationships we are trying to build.
Inquiry, in this context, does imply that you ask questions. But not any old question.
The dilemma in U.S. culture is that we don’t really distinguish what I am defining as Humble Inquiry carefully enough from leading questions, rhetorical questions, embarrassing questions, or statements in the form of questions—such as journalists seem to love— which are deliberately provocative and intended to put you down.
If leaders, managers, and all kinds of professionals are to learn Humble Inquiry, they will have to learn to differentiate carefully among the possible questions to ask and make choices that build the relationship. [1]
Schein identifies four forms:
1. Humble inquiry
Humble Inquiry is the foundation of trust-building. It is a way of asking that minimizes bias and preconceptions while maximizing curiosity. The goal is to discover what’s really on the other person’s mind without leading them toward a particular answer or agenda.
The primary goal is to build trust, create a non-threatening environment, and enhance open communication. This way leaders can engage their teams without imposing their own views or judgments.
Whatever you do when you try to humbly inquire, try to minimize your own preconceptions, clear your mind at the beginning of the conversation, and maximize your listening as the conversation proceeds.
In fact, the most important diagnostic that the other person will use to decide whether or not you are interested is not only what you ask but also how well you hear the response. Your attitude and motive will then reveal themselves in your further questions and responses as the conversation proceeds.
...Humble Inquiry does not influence either the content of what the other person has to say, nor the form in which it is said. [1]
2. Diagnostic inquiry
This inquiry involves steering the conversation by asking more focused questions. Your questions guide the person to think about particular aspects of a situation, such as feelings, motives, or actions.
It influences their mental process, nudging them to reflect on things they may not have considered. It’s more directed but can still increase understanding if used carefully.
Examples:
- Questions that ask about how someone feels in response to an event (“How did you feel about that?”).
- Questions about the reasons behind actions or emotions (“Why did that happen?”).
- Questions that focus on what someone did or plans to do ( “What have you tried so far?”).
- Questions that explore the broader context or reactions of others ( “What do you think others in the room were thinking?”).
Diagnostic inquiry deepens understanding but also carries the risk of controlling the conversation too much. Balance it with listening to avoid dominating the conversation.
3. Confrontational inquiry
Confrontational inquiry involves inserting your own ideas into the conversation in the form of a question. It stems from curiosity but is more about your agenda and interests, less about exploration and more about challenging or confronting the other person’s views or actions.
It’s essentially a form of telling disguised as asking, which causes the other person to become defensive and prevents open dialogue.
Examples: “Did that not make you angry?” or “Why didn’t you say something?” They push the person toward a specific response or explanation.
While confrontational inquiry sometimes helps surface issues, it works against building relationships based on trust. It’s about testing an idea or assumption rather than genuinely trying to understand.
4. Process-oriented inquiry
Process-oriented inquiry moves away from “content” and focuses on the dynamics of the conversation itself, aka “context.” It’s about inquiring into the dynamics of the interaction, such as asking how the conversation is going.
This requires both parties to reflect on the interaction as it’s happening, which helps to reset or adjust the conversation if things are going off track.
Examples: “What is happening here?” or “Have we gone too far?”
Process-oriented Inquiry recalibrates the conversation if misunderstandings or emotional tension arise. It’s useful for navigating sensitive discussions and ensuring everyone is aligned.
How can leaders develop humble inquiry
To develop Humble Inquiry, Schein shares practical strategies for cultivating this attitude:
Manage the anxieties of learning
Survival anxiety occurs when we recognize that failing to adopt new behaviors (like Humble Inquiry) will put us at a disadvantage. Learning anxiety arises when we anticipate difficulties in learning new behaviors, fearing incompetence, judgment, or rejection. We resist change because learning anxiety outweighs survival anxiety.
To enable change, leaders must decrease learning anxiety by creating a supportive environment. This helps overcome the discomfort of unlearning old habits of “telling” and embracing “asking.”
Slow down and vary the pace
Leaders must slow down to observe situations and relationships more carefully. In task-oriented cultures, pausing to take stock allows for thoughtful reflection and engagement in Humble Inquiry.
A relay race highlights the importance of varying pace. Fast during individual tasks but slow and deliberate during relationship-building moments, like when “passing the baton.” Slowing down builds trust and improves communication, speeding up collaboration.
Reflect more
In a fast-paced, “Do and Tell” culture, reflection is critical. Leaders must reflect on their own thoughts, feelings, and relationships.
Leaders should ask themselves Humble Inquiry questions: What is happening here? What am I thinking and feeling? Who am I dependent on? These questions help identify when to ask rather than tell and how to build relationships.
Become more mindful
Mindfulness is about being fully present and aware of a situation. It helps leaders notice things they might otherwise miss if they focus too much on immediate outcomes or tasks.
A helpful question to develop mindfulness is: What else is happening? This encourages a broader view of the situation, essential for accurate assessment and inquiry.
Engage the artist within
Breaking out of habitual scripts requires creativity. Leaders can learn from artists, who expand their capacity to see, feel, and do more. Engaging in creative processes like theater or painting helps break patterns and develop new approaches.
Innovation can occur in conversations as well. Leaders can cultivate their artistic sense by trying new ways to initiate dialogue.
Review behavior after events
Regularly review and reflect on your behavior after key events. Process reviews, also known as after-action reviews, common in military and healthcare, allow collective learning and open communication, even across hierarchies.
During these reviews, the primary form of questioning should be Humble Inquiry to ensure all voices, regardless of rank, are heard and respected.
All of us find ourselves from time to time in situations that require innovation and some risk taking. Some of us are formal leaders; most of us just have leadership thrust upon us from time to time by the situations we find ourselves in. The ultimate challenge is for you to discover that at those moments you should not succumb to telling, but to take charge with Humble Inquiry. [1]
Humble Inquiry challenges traditional notions of leadership. It offers a different path to effectiveness by emphasizing genuine curiosity and situational humility. Adopting this approach requires a shift in habitual ways of thinking and acting that can feel uncomfortable at first.
It invites us to reconsider not just how we communicate, but how we approach leadership itself.
Sources
- Schein, E. H. (2013). Humble Inquiry: The Gentle Art of Asking Instead of Telling.
- Edmondson, A. C. (2018). The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation, and Growth.
- Schein, E. H., & Schein, P. A. (2018). Humble Leadership: The Power of Relationships, Openness, and Trust.
- Schein, E. H. (2016). Humble Consulting: How to Provide Real Help Faster.
- Schein, E. H. (2009). Helping: How to Offer, Give, and Receive Help.