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More Questions?

I’m often surprised by the lack of questions that people ask. It’s particularly evident at networking events when I notice that people didn’t know who to expect to show up, when they didn’t do their research on the host, and they didn’t really have an agenda. I also notice it in business school, where most people lead with answers, but not with questions. But often times I wonder if it would be a lot more beneficial to lead with questions and listen more?

I admire the approach that kids take. If you put them in a grade school class, and they start firing off questions non stop. They’re curious to learn more. They want to figure out how the world works. And they’re more than willing to admit there’s a lot they don’t know. .

Lawyers are trained to do the same thing. They are trained to have a list of questions prepared at any given moment. They are charged to investigate the facts. To get more details. And figure out the rule of law.

The same is true for journalists, who need accurate details to get to the heart of the story. Because that’s the only way they can articulate a fact based account of what happened and tell a compelling story to the audience. So they ask what happened, who was involved, and how things played out.

But this isn’t always the case in business. In business, people spend more time relying on assumptions. It’s not always a bad thing. Because sometimes time is limited and you have to take action. Leverage probability. Use your intuition. And play on the odds.

One the other hand, there are often times that questions are extremely valuable. They give you more context. They let you clarify what’s really being asked. They allow for creativity and give you access to some potentially powerful ideas.

And perhaps more importantly, they also help to give others a feeling of power. Because by asking questions, you show that it’s not just your opinion but theirs that matters. So when a manager asks for his/her employee’s ideas, the managers sends the message that the employee is valuable and has good ideas. Then the employee gains confidence and works better, and they become a stronger team.

So in the new year, we should all work on getting better at questions.  We should think more like lawyers and journalists. We should do more research, write questions down, and ask others what they think. Because more often than not, everyone is better off.

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