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thought I had the answer. Still, I wanted to be sure, so I asked a key employee."I'm thinking of moving two crews to a different shift rotation to get a better process flow," I said. "I've run the numbers, and overall productivity should go up by at least 10 percent. What do you think?"He thought for a minute. "I suppose it could work," he said."I think so, too," I said. So I moved them.My new shift rotation worked on paper. It even worked in practice. But it screwed up the personal lives of a bunch of great employees. (Luckily, I pulled my head out of my ass and shifted everyone back to their old rotations.)What happened? I asked the wrong question.We all do it. We ask leading questions. We ask limiting questions. We ask questions that assume a certain answer. (Shoot, sometimes we don't even listen to the answers--we're too busy presuming we're right.)Here are some ways to ask the wrong questions:You lead the witness.Asking a question that assumes a particular answer is easy to do when you already think you're right and just want people to say you're right.Examples:"Don't you think we should go ahead and release that order?""Do you think we should wait any longer than we already have?""Can anyone think of a good reason not to discipline Joe?"Each question assumes an answer: You clearly think you should release the order, stop waiting, and write Joe up. Though a few people may disagree, most won't--the answer you want to hear is obvious.A better way:"What do you think we should do about that order?""Programming isn't complete yet. What do you think we should do?""What do you think is the best way to deal with Joe's situation?"Each is objective, direct, and does not include an answer in the question. And each also leaves room for a variety of options, which won't happen when...You stick to either/or questions.You have a quality problem and have thought of two possible solutions. There are positives and negatives to both. So you seek input from a team member. "Should we just scrap everything and rework the whole job," you ask, "or should we ship everything and hope the customer doesn't notice?"Most people will pick one answer or the other. But what if there's a better option you haven't considered?A better way: "There are defects throughout the whole order. What do you think we should do?"Maybe she'll say scrap it. Maybe she'll say ship and hope.Or maybe she'll say, "What if we tell the customer up front there is a problem, ship everything to them, and take a crew to their warehouse to sort product. That reduces the impact on the customer. They can use whatever is good and won't have to wait for the entire job to be re-run."Either/or questions, just like leading questions, assume some answer. Instead of sharing options, just state the problem. Then ask "What do you think?" Or "What would you do?" Or "How should we handle this?"And then shut up and let people think. Don't rush to fill the silence.You don't try to clarify.Asking questions can make you feel vulnerable when you're in a leadership role. (You're supposed to have all the answers, right?) That makes it hard to ask questions when you don't understand--especially when you're supposed to understand.Don't worry: Asking for clarification is easy. Just say:"I'm impressed. Now pretend I don't know anything about how that works. How would you explain it to me?""That sounds really good. Let me make sure I don't miss anything, though. Can you walk me through it one more time?"Or, best of all: "I have to be honest: I'm not sure I understand what you're saying, but I really want to." (A little humility goes a long way.)Above all, don't pretend you understand when you don't--all you do is waste the other person's time and make the person wonder later why you didn't try his or her idea.Now let's flip it around. Here's how to ask great questions:Limit the actual question to one sentence. Feel free to state the problem or issue in detail, but limit your question to one sentence. "How can we increase productivity?" "How can we improve quality?" "What would you do if you were me?" Sticking to one sentence helps ensure your questions are open ended.Provide options in the question only if those truly are the only options.But keep in mind those rarely are the only options. The odds you've already thought of everything are pretty slim.Don't shade the question. You may think you know the answer. Great. Keep that to yourself. Make your questions answer-neutral.Follow the same principles for follow-up questions. Stay short. Stay open ended. Stay neutral.Talk as little as possible. You already know what you know. Great questions are designed to find out what the Sponsored Business ContentDEEP STATE DECLASSIFIEDThe Deep State Trump Warned Us AboutSEVEN FIGURE PUBLISHINGThis $1.55 Stock Could Blast Higher Due To TrumpCOMCAST® BUSINESSInternet 5x The Speed Of DSL. Bundle Services For Extra Savings.COMPARECARDS.COMAn Extremely Brilliant Way To Pay Off Your Credit CardPERSONAL CAPITAL4 Financial Chores You Can Finish in 15 Minutes or LessPause your Netflix binge and take an hour of your time to catch up on these money-saving to-do list items.By Liz WestonNerdwalletCREDIT: Getty ImagesSometimes, money is like technology. Getting stuff done -- whether it's updating an operating system or moving a bank account -- often takes longer than it should.There are some money chores, though, that can be done a lot faster than you may think. The following financial tasks, which could save you a lot of cash and stress in the future, each can be dispatched in 15 minutes or less once you've decided on a plan and have your information at hand.1. Adjust Your WithholdingTax reform means different brackets, the elimination of many deductions, and the real possibility you're withholding too much or too little. Avoid unpleasant surprises next year by checking your withholding now.You'll need last year's tax return plus your latest pay stubs. Plug the necessary numbers into the IRS site's withholding calculator. The results will include instructions on exactly how to tweak your withholding, with a convenient link to a printable W-4 form. You can drop that off at your human resources department, or ask HR if there's an online form.2. Draft Powers of AttorneyMost Americans don't have a will, which means they likely don't have two documents that are even more important: powers of attorney for health care and finances.If anything, these two estate planning documents -- in which you name the people you want to make decisions for you should you become incapacitated -- are even more important than a will. Wills are supposed to dictate what happens after you're dead, but powers of attorney affect what can happen to you while you're alive.For the medical power of attorney (also called an advance health care directive in some states), name your fiercest advocate: the person who is devoted enough to carry out your wishes and stand up to doctors or relatives who disagree.For the financial power of attorney, name the person in your life who is not only good with money but also extremely ethical. Consider naming backups to both positions, and collect everyone's addresses and phone numbers before you begin.You may be able to get these documents for free or low cost if your job offers prepaid legal services. Otherwise, you can buy Quicken WillMaker software, which includes the forms, for about $80, or use online sites such as LegalZoom or Rocket Lawyer. Rocket Lawyer charges $40 per document, while LegalZoom charges $35 for power of attorney for finances and $39 for a health care power of attorney combined with a living will.3. Start Saving for CollegeGot kids? They're going to need some kind of post-secondary training to succeed in the 21st century. Don't worry right now about whether they'll get a four-year degree. You probably can't save enough to pay the whole bill for that anyway. But whatever you save can reduce future student-loan debt for whatever education they wind up getting.A state-run 529 college savings plan is the best place for most families to save, and many states offer tax benefits (search for your state's name and "529 tax break" to see what's available). You're not restricted to your own state's plan, though, so if you don't qualify for a tax benefit in your own state, then consider one of the four plans Morningstar named as best in the country:--Illinois's Bright Start Direct-Sold College Savings Program--Nevada's the Vanguard 529 College Savings Plan--Utah's My529--Virginia's Invest529 planGo to the plan's site to open an account, and then set up an automatic transfer from your checking account. You typically can start with $25 per month or less, depending on the plan. The simplest investment choice is usually an age-weighted option, which gets more conservative as college gets closer..