Our childhood habits :
Questions stems from our very early childhood pattern, where we subjected our parents to a monsoon of questions which used to flood our curious little minds. Questions formed our very basis to learn and manage and make better sense of the world at large . It brought in answers, solutions and various resources to manage our lives better and thereby had a ability to shape our destiny. Questions which college to join, which courses to pursue, led to career choices. It now leads to valuable insight for your own job trajectory.
Joseph Albers -Asking right questions at the right time can be as important as knowing the right answers. As Teachers we should strive to ask higher order questions to challenge students to make connection’s and to think more deeply about what they are learning.
So how do we carry on this valuable lesson of asking High order questions in our corporate world.
A thought provoking question can produce buy in from your team, clients for a sustained period of time. Questions reveal gaps in understanding and skill development of your team. It fosters a culture of collaboration and mutual dependence.
If one digs deep nearly every strategy, tactic and the tough decisions stem from questions- the right questions which are constructive and nourishing.
Quality Questions create Quality Life and Quality Questions
Businesses’ succeed, when those who make the decisions that control their destiny, ask the right questions about markets or strategies or product lines.
Some of the powerful questions invoked by successful business’s have been
How can I raise the standard of living for all working people?
How is the company improving the client experience?
How do we differentiate our organization in the market?
How do we produce in the most efficient and effective way possible?
How do we magnetise the very best talent already existing in our organization?
These high standards questions dictate clarity, better communication and dedication to align company culture to their vision and create better quality.
Walt Disney’s unique questioning style:
Disney had a unique way of requesting input. He designated a whole wall, on which he would display the project, script or idea and everyone in the company would come and write down their answers to his question of “How can we improve this? Every employee would fill up the wall with answers and suggestions. Disney would review all the answers and access the resource of every person in the company. He thereby brought about a massive input of creative talent flow which created exponential results.
Donald Peterson’s persistent questioning style at Ford Motors
He asked his head designer Jack Telnack “Do you like the cars you are designing?”
Telnack replied, “No Actually I don’t.”
Donald asked him this critical question: “Why don’t you ignore management and design a car you would love to own?”
It set into motion ,designing one of the finest cars and generated massive profits.
Poor quality questions can create more disharmony, feeling overwhelm and overload and thereby making impoverished decisions.
Some typical examples like:
Why’s life is so unfair?
Why bother trying, when nothing seems to be going in my favour?
How did I fail to get that promotion?
Why was the performance appraisal so unfair?
Are you as frustrated as I am with this project?
Guess what ,with these questions the mind will only focus and remain in those unresourceful thoughts and feelings and responses.
Ask Good quality questions to get Good quality answers.
What should I be doing to improve my career prospects?
What professional associations should I be a member of to further those prospects and help boost my visibility in the field?
Have you thought about the impact this project is going to have because of what we have created?
You might soon become inspired by that project that seemed so laborious and upscale your personal and professional skills.
Daily Questions which can Bring Massive changes into our Lives
Questions that one can use on a regular basis. These create a pattern of how to deal with problems that will Instantly change your focus and give you access to resources and a whole new string of possibilities. Regular pattern of good quality questions will lead to cultivate certain emotions, in order to be happy and successful.
What I am happy about in my life now?
What am I excited about in my life now?
What am I committed to in my life right now?
( Take few moments to actually see what answers spring up and to actually experience the feelings of happiness and excitement joy, commitment.)
How do we adapt or change course for the better. How do we finish with finesse?
What is not perfect yet?- Oprah Winfreys favourite question.
What am I willing to do to make to achieve the projected goals?
How can I enjoy the process while I do what is necessary to achieve the projected goals?
How can we take the company to the next level and create even more impact?
How can I add more value to my clients and employees( team)?.
How can I contribute more for the wellbeing of my colleagues?
Questions to super charge your productivity
As we struggle with procrastination, and a mindless scatter head at play, we indulge in trivial activities and tasks and in endless pleasurable moments of mobile screening ,( sometimes even hrs) These rob us of our precious purposeful time and productivity.
Powerful Questions to boost productivity (for me specially as I pick up my mobile to send a harmless WhatsApp response and next thing I realise 2 hrs gone by, in trivial online scrolling, making me wonder what exactly did I want to do when I picked up the mobile).
The following questions helped me immensely to build my commitment towards completing my most purposeful tasks.
What is the one thing I can do today that by doing it everything else will be easier and smoother?
Will this activity and effort make the highest possible contribution towards my goals? Is what I am doing this minute moving me close to my goals?
What’s the smallest step I can take to be more efficient?
What accomplishment would be worth celebrating that might take a few weeks or months of dedicated work?
To Sum up Great quality questions opens up new doors , can lead to better emotional states, better decisions making, supreme productive results for self and the organization or business. These will empower you to experience greater richness in in life.
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Questions are the Currency of Learning