Questions or Answers

Questions or answers? Which would you rather have; the appropriate questions or the right answer?

I would venture to say that the majority of you answered “the right answer”. And that is not surprising considering that is the way we learned.

Take yourself back to school days. Did you get rewarded when you had the right answer to the question the teacher asked. That reward may have been as simple as accolades from the teacher or you knowing the answer when others didn’t. The point is that having the right answer was important. Sadly the expectation that is put on managers and leaders today is that they have the answers. There is pressure also for that answer to be right.

“If I had an hour to solve a problem and my life depended on the solution, I would spend the first 55 minutes determining the proper question to ask. For once I know the proper question, I could solve the problem in less then 5 minutes.”
Albert Einstein

Often hasty decisions result in outcomes that may be less then satisfactory or appropriate. Exploration of alternative responses to a problem or situation through the asking of questions could, and will most likely, result in a favourable outcome. A sample of leading questions to ask is “What additional information do we need in order to make an appropriate decision?” or “What questions do we need answered before we make a decision?”

I think also, it is important to remember, that through asking questions we encourage creativity and possibility. By asking questions we also avoid falling into the trap of making a decision based on our unconscious mind versus our conscious mind.

Next time a problem or situation comes up in your life, what questions will you ask?