Was it curiosity that killed the cat or was it overly confident answers? Why are we compelled to go to the most convenient solution or seek out the quick easy answers and wins? Could we maximise the opportunity to find the better solution and create better opportunities for growth, development and learning through powerful questions?
Tags: Communication 101; C-Model; Cages Vs Open Road; Dimensions of climate; Problem Solutions; Knowledge; Simple Vs Complex
Questioning is a skill that needs deliberate practise to be developed. Is it possible to think and converse in questions and through this, understand one another better, gain a broader appreciation of individual context and build and generate higher levels of evolving solutions to the performance problems practitioners and coaches face?
Confident answers seem to me to be somewhat limiting. In finding an answer, does it stop us searching, probing, generating ideas and questioning….? Do answers kill curiosity? In being provided with answers does it inhibit our ability to find solutions and problem solve? In neurophysiology, does an answer stop the brain from creating new connections between neurones and even perhaps dull the patterns that reflect our knowledge in electrical form? Quite possibly.
I really like the idea that we have endless potential to generate questions and in doing so, we create new connection and electrical patterns in the brain. If questions are the fuel for greater cognitive capability ( click – Cages vs Open Road) and evolution to higher order thinking (click – problem solutions), I would gladly never give another overly confident answer or accessible (perpetually obvious) solution again.
Have you ever noticed that some coaches, mentors and leaders are quick to tell you what to do, give you a confident answer or deploy their solutions to your problems? Similarly, at times its much easier to seek quick, and accessible answers and solutions – not really questioning them or considering them critically? Do we think this is helpful in building capacity and capability? Does it actually support or detract from true learning, growth and development? If learning is a highly idiosyncratic process, should we attempt to support discovery learning by enabling the learner to find solution bespoke to their context, experience and perceptions? Taking this point on board, how useful are the answers and solutions we deploy to individual specific problems?
Perhaps critical thinking is hard to come by because we are all a product of an education system that encourages the remembering and reciting of facts, providing the ‘correct’ answers to generic problems and progression based on attainment (a logical end point). As we progress into our chosen profession, we are often coached, mentored and led in ways where we are given solutions, answers or processes to follow, this don’t exactly encourage or build autonomy, self sufficiency or critical thinkers. It certainly doesn’t build a climate where questioning is embraced and adopted.
If you are leading, mentoring, managing or coaching, could you resist the temptation to simply ‘talk at’ and ‘tell’, downloading your knowledge at people, instead, embrace the power of questions? It is difficult and takes real discipline not to have all the answer and provide the solution, this is after all, what is expected. In teams, could we embrace a climate that supports questioning, idea time and challenge (see – climate)? Could mentee’s and learners be coached in to asking great questions rather than expecting the answers and the easy options? Would this enable better thinkers and problem solvers? I think so.
If you support someones development or learning or if you lead individuals or a team, resist the urge, temptation and reflexive need to tell and for a change ask a power question, see where it takes you.
I really enjoy reading your website Ryan, always provokes thought.
It feels like there’s an interesting dichotomy at play between curiously exploring and reaching defined outcomes. I agree completely with exploring ideas, being open to questions, never reaching a “confident answer”, however the flip side of this can be never reaching a point where you’re confident to take action towards an outcome. Perhaps this is simplistic, but it’d be great to hear more about your experience of reaching tangible outcomes using a questioning approach.
Morning Gary, thanks for the feedback on the website and hope you have had a good festive season.
Great questioning IMO is at the heart of mentoring, coaching and teaming and when used skilfully/ effectively opens up many opportunities.
I guess the first thing to consider is the phase of your project or work flow – are you in a thinking/developing/fact finding phase or a doing/delivering /completion phase. Depending on the phase, the types of questions will change. In an idea generation phase you might ask ‘what if’ or ‘why’ questions to identify problems and a high frequency of solutions. In a converge on solutions phase you might ask ‘can we’ or ‘would it’ etc type questions. Once problems identified, solutions established and teams move to action the process can move to questions to support the delivery process – what support do you need? Do you feel in track? What issues are you experiencing? Can you update on your area?
When I use process management and questioning in my teams there is no doubt empowers the individuals within the team and in a couple of projects we have delivered much more, in shorter time periods then I would have expected. Type in ‘cognitive diversity’ and ‘performance problem solving’ into the search box on the site to see more ideas.
Finally, questioning has to be built into the climate and culture of the team and underpinned with a learning based approach. It is hard to develop authentic trust and true psychological safety so that individuals within the team feel liberated to truly contribute across the phases.
Hope this in some way answers your question?
KR
Ryan