Critical Thinking for Community Health Center Governing Boards and Senior Managers

Critical Thinking for Community Health Center Governing Boards and Senior Managers

Questions Are the Answer

We have been asked for a few tips focused on the questions that Community Health Center Governing Boards need to ask their Executive Directors and Senior Managers at the monthly Board and Finance meetings.

Questions and Direct Answers

What we have found is that any of these questions will add value to your role as a Community Health Center Governing Board member. The key to these questions is to make sure that you have received an actual, direct answer to the questions asked. If not, simply rephrase the question, and then ask it again.

Our suggestion is that you anticipate not receiving direct answers initially, and prepare rephrased questions in advance.

Expert Salespeople

Remember that Executive Directors are expert and experienced salespeople. Make sure that your Executive Director has answered your questions fully and directly at the monthly meetings. There should be no need to “get back to you” with an answer. Senior Managers spend hours, prior to the meetings, anticipating the Board’s questions.

Some suggested initial questions:

PURPOSE:
§ What are you trying to accomplish?
§ Please put your goal in the form of a question
§ What would you say someone who did not agree with you?

PROBLEM:
§ Would you put that problem in the form of a question?

CONCEPTS:
§ How is that concept valid?
§ Please define your concept.

INFORMATION:
§ What information is missing from your report?
§ How reliable is your information?

ASSUMPTIONS:
§ What assumptions are you making?
§ Please outline your assumptions for the Board.
§ What would you say to someone who did not agree with your assumptions?

EVIDENCE:
§ How do you know that?
§ Help me follow your logic, please re-state that evidence.

INFERENCES:
§ If we grant that conclusion, where would that lead us?
§ Why?

CONSEQUENCES:
§ What are the implications of that conclusion?
§ How did you arrive at those implications?

POINT OF VIEW:
§ What is the basis for your point of view?
§ Is your point of view different from two years ago? [Note: Be careful of Executive
Directors and Senior Managers whose points of views have not grown, i.e. changed.]
§ How is it different?

Next post: The Critical Thinking Problem Solving Process for Community Health Center Leadership.