Why Great Leaders Ask Great Questions
The 7 essential reflections for every aspiring leader
by Steve Mostyn
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Pub Date 28 Aug 2025 | Archive Date 12 Sep 2025
John Murray Press | John Murray Business
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Description
Aspiring leaders are hungry to learn all that they can about how to be a more effective leader. And certainly there are tools and best practices young leaders should know and add to their toolkit.
But - as Steve Mostyn, one of the world's leading innovators in executive leadership, has learned over the past decades of teaching this cohort - two equally useful activities for the aspiring leader are reflection and experimentation.
In his new book WHY GREAT LEADERS ASK GREAT QUESTIONS, Mostyn has crafted an elegant collection of the seven provocative questions aspiring leaders should ask themselves in order to spur that reflection and experimentation. These are some of the most important questions Mostyn poses to each cohort of the Oxford Executive Leadership program's students, honed by the past answers and engagement of thousands of students.
The book is simple in conception, profound in execution. In seven accessible chapters, with exercises, research, and examples, the reader will engage with these questions:
How do I reflect?
How do I spend my time?
Where does my power come from?
How do I grow my network?
How do I make change happen around here?
How do I manage my energy?
How do I grow more leaders?
Inspired in part by Mostyn's work on the Oxford Executive Leadership Programme - an accelerated international leadership development program with over 5,000 alumni around the world - and in part by his numerous workshop sessions where he challenges and supports leaders through his unique questions, the premise of the book is well-tested with aspiring and practicing leaders and is proven to spark both reflection and growth.
These seven questions are drawn from the author's deep experience with the needs of rising young executives. Readers will engage with provocative exercises, highly accessible overviews of applicable research, and examples from fellow mid-career executives.
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9781399820172 |
| PRICE | £28.00 (GBP) |
| PAGES | 320 |
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
Reviewer 691254
This book was so good! The questions and premise was so well done. Great story and very engaging. Totally worth reading!!
Stephanie S, Reviewer
As a new manager, I found this book to be a useful exercise to starting to define my leadership journey. I appreciated the way the author weaved thought-provoking exercises, well-researched insights, and practical examples to understand how others have approached these same ideas.
Darya Y, Reviewer
This book is a rare gem in the crowded field of leadership literature—concise yet profound, practical yet deeply reflective. Aimed at aspiring leaders who are eager not only to learn but to grow, this book presents a thoughtful and elegant framework built around seven deceptively simple yet powerful questions.
Rather than offering a traditional checklist of leadership tools, Mostyn invites readers to engage in two of the most transformative activities for any leader: reflection and experimentation. Drawing from decades of experience teaching at the Oxford Executive Leadership Programme and working with thousands of mid-career professionals, Mostyn distills his wisdom into seven core questions that challenge readers to think deeply about their own leadership journey.
Each chapter is structured to guide the reader through these questions—such as "How do I spend my time?" and "How do I grow more leaders?"—with engaging exercises, grounded research, and real-world examples. The tone is conversational but purposeful, creating an accessible and motivating reading experience. What sets this book apart is its ability to speak directly to the reader’s inner world while also prompting practical shifts in behavior and mindset.
Mostyn's insights are not theoretical musings; they are field-tested reflections that have shaped the growth of over 5,000 leaders worldwide. The questions are designed not just to be answered, but to be lived—and that is where the book's true value lies. For any aspiring leader ready to move beyond surface-level leadership strategies and dig into the deeper questions that shape influence, culture, and legacy, Why Great Leaders Ask Great Questions is essential reading. This is more than a book—it’s a companion for the leadership journey.
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