Improve The Quality Of Your Life With Questions
By Damien Parker | January 20, 2015
Yes, I happen to believe that the art of “smart questioning” is one of the most valuable assets of mankind; for the smart question elicits the correct answer and the correct answer can lead to the most amazing discoveries and realities which have profoundly changed the way we live.
Can you think of any scientific discovery or invention that happened without somebody questioning the accepted belief systems?
The greatest scientist of all time, Albert Einstein, had this to say about the art of questioning:
“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 than five minutes.”
One of the great educationalists of our time, Charles Weingartner, said this:
“Once you have learned how to ask questions – relevant and appropriate and substantial questions – you have learned how to learn and no one can keep you from learning whatever you want or need to know.”
Want a business related example?
“Where can I get a good hamburger on the road?” was the question which started Ray Kroc on his quest to begin the largest franchised organisation in the world – McDonald’s.
The root word of question is “quest,” which means to go on a journey & that’s precisely what you will do in your business when you understand and use the potent power of the correct question.
The power of questions as a learning and discovery tool isn’t new. It is said that the great Greek teacher Socrates taught not by giving lectures or writing books – but by asking questions because he knew that the smart question elicited the correct answer. Philosophers to follow came to know his methodology as Socratic questioning where the question was designed to make the other person think.
Please understand this very carefully…because the links are profound:
As business people, the quality of our lives is determined by the quality of our business;
The quality of our business is determined by the quality of our actions;
The quality of our actions is determined by the quality of our thinking;
The quality of our thinking is determined by the quality of our questioning.
How many minutes of that hour did Einstein spend thinking about the right question?
The link is unmistakable…at the core of the reasons why business people invest in self-help and management programs is the desire to improve the quality of their lives and that of those they love and cherish. This can be achieved by improving the quality of your questioning!
Want to improve the quality of your life?
Then improve the quality of your questioning!
By the way, business people, coaches, consultants in fact, anyone dealing with people will be vitally interested in my very practical template program entitled 482 Powerful Questions Every Business Manager Should Ask Regularly. It’s a potpourri of smart questions to suit just about every scenario.
So, if you believe, as I do, that information is the currency of the 21st century, then the quality of the information you obtain will be in direct proportion to the quality of the questions you ask. My 482 Questions Program will supply you with an arsenal of smart questions!
Truly, the power resides with the person who can ask great questions, so take on board the following truisms when it comes to questions:
- Great questions get great answers
- Good questions get good answers
- Direct questions get direct answers
- Long-winded questions get long-winded answers
- Rambling questions get rambling answers
- Unclear questions get unclear answers
- Confusing questions get confusing answers
- Poor questions get poor answers
Perhaps we could add one more to this list:
- The unasked question receives no answer at all.
Remember, intelligent questioning:
- Focuses the other party upon determining what needs to be done to achieve the outcome.
- Can strip away illusion, self-delusion and misconceptions in a low-threat manner.
- Can break down old thought patterns, encourage lateral thinking and promote novel solutions.
- Lessens the other parties’ dependence upon the manager as an “answer source”.
- Builds the other parties respect for the business manager as a skilled, objective and concerned observer.
- Motivates the other party to seek their own answers – and to then make those answers work.
What is, or should be, the most potent weapon of any coach, be s/he involved in business, sport or life coaching?
Answer: An arsenal of powerful questions which will lead their trainees to discover the answer for themselves.
Whether you are a coach, a business person or just a citizen of life, why not make it a priority to immediately begin examining the quality of your questions?
Here’s to more sales, profits and cash from your business,
Damien Parker
Business Improvement Specialist
www.salesprofitscash.com
Follow my Tweets: @salesprofitcash
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