Questions for Building Trust in Early Education Teams
- Sarah Moore
- Mar 25
- 4 min read
In early childhood leadership, many of the challenges we face come from the quality of our conversations. Whether you're supporting educators through change, strengthening relationships within your team, or navigating different perspectives, the way we ask questions can shape the entire tone of a conversation.
Questions are powerful leadership tools. The right question can open dialogue, build trust, and invite collaboration. The wrong question can unintentionally trigger defensiveness or shut down communication. Understanding how to ask thoughtful, curiosity-driven questions is one of the most practical ways leaders can strengthen trust within their teams.
To support this, I’ve created a simple leadership resource that you can begin using immediately with your team. This tool contains a collection of questions designed to help leaders build trust and demonstrate curiosity in everyday leadership conversations.
You can download the full guide here:
Why Questions Matter in Leadership Conversations
The questions we ask don’t just gather information. They shape how people experience a conversation. Research in Conversational Intelligence®, developed by Judith E. Glaser, highlights how questions influence our brain chemistry and emotional responses. When leaders ask questions with genuine curiosity and respect, they can stimulate positive neurological responses that promote trust and collaboration.
However, questions that feel critical or judgmental can trigger defensive reactions that make open communication more difficult. This means that leadership communication isn’t just about what we say, but how we invite others into the conversation.
Leaders who intentionally use curiosity-based questions create an environment where educators feel heard, respected, and more willing to share their insights.
A Practical Leadership Tool:
Questions That Build Trust
Rather than relying on instruction alone, thoughtful questions allow leaders to invite educators into deeper thinking about their work, their observations, and their ideas. The following questions can be used during team meetings, reflective discussions, curriculum planning, or one-to-one conversations with educators.
Each group of questions is designed to support a different leadership intention.
1. Collaboration
Questions that invite educators into shared problem solving. These types of questions shift the conversation away from instruction and towards partnership.
For example:
How do you envision our team working together to create a more engaging learning environment?
What ideas do you have for collaborative projects that could involve both educators and children?
2. Building Trust
Trust grows when people feel that their voice and perspective matter. These questions signal that leadership is interested in listening, not simply directing.
Questions such as:
What steps do you think we could take to ensure every team member feels heard and valued?
How can we create an atmosphere where everyone feels comfortable sharing their insights and concerns?
3. Demonstrating Curiosity
Curiosity-based questions allow leaders to explore educators’ experiences and observations. When leaders show genuine curiosity, they invite educators to contribute their professional knowledge and insights.
For example:
What observations have you made about how children interact during group activities?
Could you tell me more about your experience with our current transition routines?
4. Reflecting on Practice
Reflection is an essential part of professional growth in early childhood education. These conversations help teams move from routine practice to intentional practice.
Questions such as:
How do you think our daily routines impact children’s sense of security?
What learning experiences could better support children’s social and emotional development?
5. Seeking Feedback
Strong leaders actively seek input from their teams. This approach creates a culture where improvement is shared, rather than directed from the top down. Questions that invite feedback might include:
What aspects of our current curriculum could be improved?
How can we strengthen family involvement in children’s learning?
6. Encouraging Growth
Leaders also play an important role in supporting team development. These questions reinforce the idea that learning is ongoing and collaborative. For example:
What professional learning opportunities would benefit our team?
What strategies have you found helpful when supporting children during transitions?
Bringing This Tool Into Your Leadership Practice
You don’t need to use every question in the guide. Over time, questions like these can help shift the tone of conversations from directive to collaborative. Instead, try selecting one or two questions to introduce into your everyday leadership conversations. You might use them during:
team meetings
reflective discussions
mentoring conversations
curriculum planning sessions
informal check-ins with educators
Reflective Questions for Leaders
To begin experimenting with this leadership tool, you might reflect on the following:
Q1. When you think about your recent leadership conversations, were they driven more by instruction or curiosity?
Q2. Which of the questions in the resource could help open more reflective dialogue within your team?
Q3. What difference might it make if your educators felt more invited into leadership conversations?
Leadership in early childhood education is the art of creating the conditions where people feel safe to think, share, and grow together. It comes to life through curiosity, reflection, and meaningful dialogue, where thoughtful questions invite deeper understanding, shared insight, and collective growth.
If you’d like to explore more practical leadership tools like this, I regularly share strategies and insights through my programs and leadership community at Early Education Leadership.
If you're not sure where you'd like to start or you'd like to get to know each other better please book in a free discovery call. I'd love to talk with you.
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