This week I asked How Would Your Life Change If You Could Ask Better Questions?
Asking better questions is key to our success, and too many times we settle for the first answer instead of asking more questions. In the coaching business, questions are at the heart of inquiry and knowing which ones to ask are key to helping our clients have the break throughs they desire. Questions are an integral part of curiosity. When you are curious, you are open to possibilities and other points of view. They lead us past the uncertainty and false assumptions that influence our lives, and help us make better judgments and decisions that have a long lasting effect on every dimension of our life.
Steve Jobs asked, “if today was the last day of your life, would you want to be doing what you’re doing now?” I know my answer to that. A resounding YES! As many of us spend our lives on automatic pilot, it’s essential we stop and ask questions to make sense of our work, and our place in it. In my life, I’ve spent a great deal of my life examining fear, and why it has such a powerful hold on our minds and behavior. I’ve examined the stories I tell myself, and the consequences of those stories, and looked closely at Who Am I? Where Do I Want To Go? As well as What’s Getting In The Way of Achieving The Things I Want? This is the starting point for any personal change process. Once you identify those things you can create goals and strategies to create the career and life you want. There are always things you can change, and the process begins with asking better questions.
Strategy 1
We humans spend much of our time on automatic pilot. As children we are insatiably curious. Hang out with a three-year-old for a while and you’ll get sick of the ‘why’ questions. Unfortunately, we learn as we grow that it’s not ok to ask a lot of questions. We are labeled as disruptors and over time we learn that we need to keep our questions to a minimum so the lessons can continue. Without questions there can be no change.
Strategy 2
Watch The Art of Asking The Right Questions with Tim Ferris
Questions are becoming more important than answers. Without questions and curiosity we won’t be able to innovate. Questions decline as we get older because in schools we value the answers and there is almost no value placed on the answers. Warren Berger, Tim Ferris and others speak to why questions are critical to our success.
Strategy 3
Read Warren Berger’s A More Beautiful Question
In this fascinating exploration of the surprising power of questioning, innovation expert Warren Berger reveals that powerhouse businesses like Google, Nike, and Netflix, as well as hot Silicon Valley start-ups like Pandora and Airbnb, are fueled by the ability to ask fundamental, game-changing questions. But Berger also shares human stories of people using questioning to solve everyday problems – from “How can I adapt my career in a time of constant change?” to “How can I step back from the daily rush and figure out what really makes me happy?”
By showing how to approach questioning with an open, curious mind and a willingness to work through a series of “Why”, “What if”, and “How” queries, Berger offers an inspiring framework of how we can all arrive at better solutions, fresh possibilities, and greater success in business and life.
Strategy 4
Listen to my interview with Jon Rennie, Deep Leadership
Leadership is a People Business.” That’s the philosophy of this leadership podcast from Jon Rennie. It’s real-world, actionable advice from Jon as well as his expert guests. As a former Cold War Submarine Officer who spent 22 years leading businesses in Corporate America before starting his own manufacturing business, he knows that leadership matters!
Strategy 5
Reflect on the following:
- What questions are you not asking to move your career forward.
- Am I showing up authentically?
- Do I show curiosity when engaging with others?
- How well do I model the values that are important to me?
- What am I tolerating in my career and what needs to change?
I need your help? I’m currently running an anonymous survey to gauge interest in my programs. Would you take 5-minutes to contribute? Thanks.