Leadership lessons from pop culture
The BIG Takeaway™
newsletter
June 6, 2022

​What leaders can learn from TV, sports and movies this week

Hello current and aspiring leaders!

What a busy week for pop culture; sooooo much going on. Here are just a few of the highlights.
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  • "Top Gun: Maverick" crushed it at the box office.
    Ok, so let me get this straight. Goose's son joins the Navy, becomes an aviator, has a bird call sign (Rooster), wears Hawaiian shirts, ends up at Top Gun and grows an almost identical stash? Yeah, that sounds about right.

  • "Stranger Things" rocked the streaming world. 
    The big winner? Kate Bush. Streams of her 1985 song "Running Up That Hill" rose 8,000% after it was featured in the show. Let's hope they highlight Taco's 1982 "Puttin' on the Ritz" or at least this video. We can only hope.

  • The NBA and NHL Playoffs continued.
    How can ABC not be using this clip to promote the series between the Celtics and the Warriors? (go about one minute in). Epic oversight.

Speaking of the Celtics and the Warriors, this week I am going to focus on how to avoid what I call asking "buffet" questions.
  • To do this I will use a clip from the press conference after game one of the NBA Finals.

Before we get started today is the 78th anniversary of D-Day.
  • I am convinced that conversations with WW II veterans would solve most of our workplace issues. Humility. Loyalty. Perspective. 
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Let's go.

Rich Trombetta
@trombettarich
June 6, 2022
This week's BIG Takeaway:
Don't ask "buffet" questions
Video: YouTube
Stop feeding people answers or options
Instead, be like a waiter or waitress 

The context: The video above is from a press conference after the Boston Celtics beat the Golden State Warriors in game No. 1 of the NBA Finals.

  • Go to 2:55 and listen to the question when the reporter asks:

    "Was there anything they were doing specifically to open that up for you or was that just a matter of seeing open shooters and hitting guys?"

  • This is an example of what I call a "buffet question" where a person feeds answers to someone by giving them options to choose from.

  • More questions like this are in the video. There are some good questions as well.

    Side note: How no one asked about that super cool jacket is beyond me.

What we can learn: Providing options or potential answers when asking a question is bad form.
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  • The reporter gave Jayson Tatum two choices; "Was there anything...or...was that just a matter of..."

  • Even worse, both are yes or no questions which, in this setting, aren't very useful.

  • A better option could have been: "You had seven assists in the first half. What was happening that was causing you to become more a playmaker?"

My take: Feeding people answers is bad form AND it can give people a Get Out of Jail Free card.

  • Rather than having to think, the person can now choose one of your options.

  • You have, in effect, answered your own question and introduced bias into the situation.

  • This is why I call them buffet questions; you have given the person answers and options instead of just asking "what would you like for dinner?"

    Side note: I can't remember if I had steak or fish the last time I went out for dinner. Oh, wait. I had the lasagna.


To summarize:
Don't ask "buffet" questions that feed people possible answers and options. ​​
Let's put this into action
Image: Pixels
👉​What you can do on your own: 
  • ONE: Finish watching the video above and notice which questions are good and which ones are buffet questions (or even worse, a buffet with a side of yes/no)
    ​
  • TWO: Review these simple tips.

  • THREE: Read this article from Harvard Business Review on asking good questions.
📢​ What you can do with others:
Did you know we can design a custom class or program based on topics like the one above? Click the button to learn more.

Before we end here's our weekly grab bag of quick links

😁 Smile: A slight diversion from our weekly dog video but worth it.

📺 Watch: "Hustle" on Netflix; premieres on June 8.

🎓 Learn: How to ask questions like a journalist.
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🌷 Relax: The useless web is awesome.
That's all for now

​Thanks for reading and please remember:
  • We archive our stories and put them here for the world to read so feel free to have a look.
  • If you have any ideas or feedback Contact me with your thoughts.
  • We can create custom newsletters​ and training sessions on the topics we write about.
Rich Trombetta
​@trombettarich

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