Unlock the Power of Questions
The willingness to seek out new and useful information is the foundation of personal creativity, organizational innovation and problem solving. Asking questions is the most effective way of doing this. And basic questions can be the most valuable kind. A recent study by Gong.io reveals that top-performing salespeople ask clients between 11 to 14 questions.
But people are often afraid to ask basic questions because it reveals a lack of knowledge and makes them vulnerable. Some organizations have a culture of “gotcha” questions intended to make the asker look like the smartest person in the room. Employees end up investing more effort concealing their lack of understanding, than elevating the knowledge of the group. This is a productivity killer that risks stunting personal and organizational growth.
The founders of the most valuable companies in the world, Apple, Amazon, and Bridgewater, all built productive questioning into their DNA. Like these organizations, we can do better by learning to become better question askers. It will make us smarter, more productive and demonstrate leadership to our colleagues.
This Harvard Business Review article by Alison Wood Brooks, Ph.D. & Leslie John is a great place to start:
