Welcome to all attendees of my presentation at the Stena Sphere Forum on 20 September in Warsaw. I prepared this custom web page to offer additional resources for those who would like to dig deeper on some of the ideas and concepts covered in my talk.
1. Questioning is the starting point of innovation.
In my presentation, I briefly mentioned a number of product breakthroughs and business startups that began with a question. For those interested in learning the stories behind these breakthroughs that began with a “beautiful question,” this link will take you to a collection of such stories, including Netflix, Polaroid, Gatorade, the Olympic Games, and others.
As you read through these stories, you may observe that innovators often begin by noticing, and then questioning, something that seems to be missing or that doesn’t make sense. For example, the idea for Gatorade originated with a football coach who noticed that his players were becoming dehydrated, even though they were drinking a lot of water. This caused him to question why this was happening—and whether there might be a better way to help the players stay hydrated. The point is, if you can find those inconsistencies—and then question them—it may create a business opportunity.
» Bonus read: Can You See the Opportunity That’s Right in Front of You?
2. The power of asking “Why,” “What if,” and “How.”
As I noted in my presentation, these three types of questions work well in a sequence. Start with Why to try to better understand a challenge or problem – then proceed to What if in order to come up with ideas – and finally, try to work your way toward How questions to begin implementing a solution. Almost every innovation story can be broken down into Why, What if, and How stages.
» To learn more about how these 3 questions can be used effectively to tackle problems, read more at this post.
3. Embrace the power of “How Might We.”
A great tool of collaborative inquiry, used by Google, Facebook, IDEO, and others. When you’re questioning as a group, use “How might we” to start questions – it lightens the mood, encourages creativity, and makes it seem as if anything is possible. To learn more about the reasons why “How Might We” is so effective, read my Harvard Business Review article, The Secret Phrase Top Innovators Use.
4. Brainstorm in questions.
If you want people in an organization to become more comfortable asking questions and even “thinking in questions,” here is a simple exercise that works wonders. Put a problem in front of the group – and all you’re allowed to do is formulate questions around it—no ideas allowed! This exercise was developed by the Right Question Institute and works best if you break people up into small groups and write down all questions generated within each group. Have each group pick their best couple of questions. Then share those questions and have the entire group decide, “What are the 3 great questions we want to take with us, from the meeting?”
» For more details on this exercise and how it is being used by Microsoft and other companies, read this article I wrote for Fast Company, How Brainstorming Questions, Not Ideas, Sparks Creativity.
5. Don’t abuse questioning (or, don’t be a question jerk).
- Don’t ask questions where you already know the answer and you’re trying to show how smart you are.
- Don’t ask questions that are attacks in disguise. (Why on earth did you do that?)
- Don’t ask questions that are overly focused on failure and negativity. Practice “appreciative inquiry” – the art of turning negative questions into positive. Example: How can we build on our strengths to get better at X?
» For more on this, read my Harvard Business Review article, 5 Questions a Leader Should Never Ask.
6. Take your questions home with you.
Everyone says you should leave your problems at the office. But if there’s a “beautiful question” you’re working on – How might I do this thing I’m doing in a fresh way, and take it to another level? – you should take that question everywhere you go.
- Take your question for long walks, where great ideas are often found. Take it to bed with you – you just might wake up with an answer. Because that’s one of the wonderful things about questions – our minds keep working on them, over time.
- Stay with your questions. The best questions take more time, and work, to get to an answer. And never stop asking them. Questioning never ends, because continuous improvement is never-ending.
- Share your beautiful questions with your colleagues and friends – they can give you a great “outsider” perspective.
- Encourage people around you to ask more questions, whether it’s co-workers, business partners, or even (especially) your kids – because this is how we’ll produce the next generation of innovators.
» When your kids come home from school ask them: “Did you ask a good question today?”
And while you’re at it, ask yourself the same question.
