​A leader’s role to gain influence from team members, clients, and other people with their words is challenging. Using powerful questions to foster more engagement is a skill set leaders are more actively using. However, providing the correct answers to the questions asked is most often overlooked. 
​
In today’s episode we interview Brian Glibkowski, PhD, Answer Intelligence (AQ)™ Creator, and author of the book,  Answer Intelligence: Raise Your AQ. Today’s topic is focused on creating influence and effective communication among team members using the AQ Framework as they Team Anywhere.

In this episode of Inside the Director's Circle, my guests and I bust some myths about effective communication. In the last episode, we focused on AQ (Answer Intelligence) the missing link, as we see it, of highly effective communication. Listen back to the last episode, those that missed it, as you might find it useful before you listen to this episode.

Last time we tried to bust the first myth of "if you ask great questions and listen intently, then highly effective communication happens". It was all the notion that answers naturally occurred from asking great questions. However, as Dr Brian Glibkowski explained in the last episode, that isn't the case. Answers are as important to consider and prepare for as questions for an effective and balanced conversation.

I was once again joined by two of our members from The Director's Circle community; Gemma Steadman, Business Unit Director at Hadley Group, and Jacqueline Watson, Director of Marketing and Business Development at Henderson Loggie.

Gemma took on board a point I made about how as leaders there can be a perceived difference in what we consider our level of communication has been with our teams and what the reality is. What I said that resonated with Gemma was that:

"I think as leaders, we've got everything running through our head all the time; our strategy, our plans, our challenges. And then, for example, once a quarter, we stand up and talk to our team and say, let me tell you where we're going. Let me tell you our vision. And then we go back and run it through our head for three months."
​
What I always try to say to leaders is to think about over-communicating because the communication to yourself versus the outward communication is massively different.
Jacqueline suggested that understanding your audience, whomever that might be; a single person, a large audience of people, or people to who you are marketing, is the most important thing to have meaningful and effective communication. Deeply understanding your audience allows your questions to be more targeted and your answers to be more relevant, enabling your conversation to resonate more.

Show Notes
​Answer Intelligence (AQ), which some people have called the missing link in highly effective communication, is the subject of this week's episode. As you might have guessed, for the next two episodes we are delving into the subject of effective communication. My knowledge circle expert for this subject is Dr Brian Glibkowski, creator of AQ. Brian explains that AQ is the ability to provide elevated answers to explain and predict in a complex world, emotionally connect, and achieve results.
Brian is joined by two of our Director's Circle community members; Gemma Steadman, Business Unit Director at Hadley Group, and Jacqueline Watson, Director of Marketing and Business Development at Henderson Loggie.

Show Notes
In this episode, Jerome and Julienne are talking with the creator of Answer Intelligence (AQ)™, Dr. Brian Glibkowski.

When Dr. Glibkowski wanted to know what skills he could improve when he was a doctoral student, the answer was "communication."

This set him on a path to discover how to help organizations and their employees improve the way they communicate by answering 6 questions: What, Who, Why, When, Where, How.

Starting with golf professionals, he tested out a methodology that became the Answer Intelligence (AQ), which led to a book and now a framework that he helps organizations all over the world to implement.

We discuss the balance between procedures, storytelling, strategy, and action plans that are part of this decision making and communication process. 

To learn more and try this FREE assessment, go to this link: https://www.raiseyouraq.com/explore.html

Hosted by Bart Egnal, President & CEO of The Humphrey Group, Inspire is THE podcast for anyone who wants to influence and lead others every time they speak. Each episode features a new guest who will share insights, stories and tips on how you can intentionally inspire others, both in work and in life. Our interviews skip the theory and provide you with practical advice to inspire others during every interaction. This first season includes insights from a former TOPGUN instructor, the CEO of a major North American Port, and our company's very own founder.

I interviewed Dr. Tony Alessandra, founder of Assessments 24x7, to discuss the intersection of DISC and Answer Intelligence (AQ)™. The following are some basics regarding DISC, AQ, and DISC AQ (using DISC + AQ at the same time).

DISC is a framework for understanding your behaviors and those of others. AQ is the ability to provide elevated answers to important questions. Taken together, DISC AQ supports meaningful conversations about your identity and the identity of others to encourage productive and deep relationships at work. DISC AQ is the ability to effectively communicate your behavior style.

DISC

• Understanding your behavior style is an important first step to becoming your authentic self at work.
• Understanding the behavior style of others is important to appreciate others.
• Behavior style is dynamic (it can be strengthened/weakend, changed) and it is informed by self-reflection, life experiences, education, and maturity.

AQ

• AQ is a new science of answers that fully incorporates questions.
• Questions and answers are fundamental to effective communication.
• AQ can be applied to any topic (leadership, sales, personality, etc.).

DISC AQ

• “Who are you?" In AQ terms, you are the answers you tell yourself and provide to others.  In other words, you need to be able communicate your DISC style as six answers (story, metaphor, theory, concept, procedure, action) to basic questions.  For example, imagine you have a Dominance Style. "What is like to work with a D-style?" can be answered with a concept or metaphor. "Why should I work with a D-style?" can be answered with a story or theory. "How do I work with a D-style?" can be answered with a procedure or action.
• A fundamental human need is to be understood and to understand others. AQ is a framework that individuals can use at work to communicate their DISC styles to each other by simple question and answer exchange to achieve greater appreciation, respect, and influence upon each other.
• AQ is a development framework that extends DISC. There are 4 primary behavior styles (Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, Conscientious) and 15 DISC Profiles (unique combinations of the four primary behavior styles) all of which can be developed in terms of six answer types and the 5 High AQ practices. For example, there is always an opportunity to learn a new story or metaphor to emotionally connect yourself or others to your primary behavior style; you can identify a new procedure or action to develop new behaviors, and you can reflect upon and communicate behavioral concepts and theory to develop enduring mental models of yourself and others.

Interview with Dr. Alesandra
During my interview with Dr. Alesandra, I asked him some basic questions about his DISC profile.  I knew Dominance was his primary behavioral style.  For example, I asked him, "What is dominance?"  In AQ terms, as a concept-answer he was able to define dominance and discuss key aspects of dominance, including that he is very direct. I then suggested a metaphor for being direct.  I said, "you prefer to go from point A to point B."  He said, "That is close. I prefer to go directly from point A to Z."  This metaphor is very helpful for anyone that is working with Dr. Alessandra.

It is important to communicate your DISC style in terms of six answers (story, metaphor, theory, concept, procedure, action) to make sense of yourself and to help others effectively work with you. 
​
What is Dominance?

Understand & Communicate Who You Are.  Learn more about the DISC AQ assessment for Individuals, Organizations, or Professional Service Firms.

The foundation of High AQ is the ability to provide six answers (High AQ Practice 1).  My AQ is a series of articles that feature business executives that provide six answers to important topics and questions.

Jason Langford Brown used AQ to help a 20-year-old big ticket project management company sell to the board of an international resort.  Engineers at the client firm were tasked with presenting to the board, something they were not comfortable doing.  Jason helped his client develop six answers the engineers used to answer pressing why-, what-, and how-questions.  The result... the engineers won the deal and two others from the same client valued at $2.5 million in total fees.  They are also now discussing more than 10 additional projects.

Each answer by itself relates to a specific question. If you take all the answers together, it is the cumulative and reinforcing aspect of the answers that communicate the value proposition of a selling organization. The AQ framework provided the engineers important preparation for a board level conversation as well as a dynamic tool to help them adjust their answers as the conversation naturally shifted to different types of questions.

​We created a list of all AQ podcasts, webinars, and other recorded events that feature Dr. Glibkowski talking about Answer Intelligence (AQ)™.
​
​Note: this list was created on 9/19/21 and is updated with new events as they occur.

The Power of Answers: How to Raise your Answer Intelligence (AQ)
​Dion Leadership Webinar

LinkedIn Live with Mohamed Sharaf Eldin
Answer Intelligence for Leaders - with Dr. Brian Glibkowski

LinkedIn Live with Chris White
Answer Intelligence for Sales - with Dr. Brian Glibkowski

AQ was introduced to the world at TEDxGeorgiaTech.