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About me
My name is Mauro Bagnato and for over 15 years I have been leading tech organizations.
When I first stepped into leadership, I believed technical expertise was the key to being an effective leader. However, I quickly learned that organizations are living and complex systems and that leading them demands much more than just technical know-how. I believe that curiosity is at the heart of effective leadership. This is what fuels learning and experimentation, both crucial for continuous improvement. This blog aims to explore engineering leadership in all its aspects and to provide insights in a tangible and pragmatic manner. It will also be a space where I will share insights, reflections, and personal takeaways from books, podcasts, and articles that influenced and keep influencing my journey.
Find out how I can help you!
Ever noticed how some questions make you stop and think, or help you out when you’re stuck?
That’s the magic of powerful questions!
Let me share some traits of these impactful questions, along with concrete examples:
Open-Ended. Powerful questions aren’t yes-or-no inquiries. They encourage deeper thinking.
✅ Good: What are your thoughts on this plan?
❌ Bad: Do you think this plan will work?
Thought-Provoking. Powerful questions stimulate critical thinking and spark different perspectives and possibilities.
✅ Good: How do you think this decision will impact the team in the long run?
❌ Bad: Do you think we should go for option A or B?
Fosters Creativity and Insight: Powerful questions push us beyond the obvious. They encourage us to look at things from different perspectives.
✅ Good: “How could we 10X the outcome?” What if we do things completely differently?”
❌ Bad: “How did we solve the problem last time we faced it?
Encouraging reflection: Powerful questions encourage the person being asked to reflect on their experiences, beliefs, and values.
✅ Good: What have you learned from your past experiences that can help you in this situation?
❌ Bad: Why did you do that?
Guides but Doesn’t Dictate: Powerful questions guide thinking without leading to a predetermined answer. It’s about exploration, not confirmation.
✅ Good: What technologies could we explore to reach our goal?
❌ Bad: Don’t you think using technology X will speed up reaching our goals?
