Albert Einstein once said, “The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.”
A study by the Harvard Business Review found that the most successful leaders are those who ask the most questions. These leaders are more likely to uncover innovative solutions and inspire their teams to think critically.
Research published in the Journal of Educational Psychology highlights that students who ask more questions tend to have higher academic achievements and better problem-solving skills.
What are some benefits of asking questions?
There are many benefits. Asking questions can:
- challenge assumptions and ingrained beliefs,
- foster curiosity and drive innovation,
- support informed decision-making,
- enable the exploration of diverse perspectives,
- improve communication and build shared understanding
- enable self-reflection and learning,
- encourage deeper thinking, and
- aid in problem solving.
Sara Blakely, founder of Spanx, exemplifies this with her mantra, “The more you ask ‘why,’ the more things become normal. When ‘why’ becomes normal, you start thinking differently, coming up with new ideas, new ways to solve problems.”
Are there good questions and bad questions?
Rather than ask Yes/No questions, we’re encouraged to ask open-ended questions, those that start with WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHY, WHEN and How. The latter are considered powerful question because they open the conversation, whereas closed questions, those leading to Yes/No answers, close the conversation
The magic of questions is in asking boldly and listening deeply. And to get better at asking questions, just ask more questions. Try it and see how much insight you get.
As Tony Robbins says, and I paraphrase, the quality of your life depends on the quality of your questions.