“You don’t invent the answers, you reveal the answers by finding the right questions.”
– Jonas Salk
The Innovator’s DNA contains some great insights on the core skills that can help us see differently. One of the core skills is questioning. Makes sense, right? If we want to invent the future, we must question why things are/aren’t the way they are.
When we ask provocative questions instead of always having the answer/reason/excuse, we free ourselves up to think about what the answer could be. We’re less inclined to lean on what we think we already know and we’re more inclined to shift into discovery mode. This isn’t new thinking and it’s a skill we can all employ, we just lose sight of its importance.
Starting today, measure your success by the number of questions you ask (in meetings, when you’re stuck on a particular problem, etc.). Keep a log of how many questions (q) you seem to have versus answers (a). Aim to increase your q/a ratio and discover how many more answers you actually have.
Photo licensed under Creative Commons 2.0 via Flickr user: schreiblockade
