The Power of Not Knowing

The importance of asking questions and being curious cannot be overstated. A Harvard Business Review article by Allison Wood Brooks and Leslie K. John said asking questions “spurs learning and the exchange of ideas, fuels innovation and performance improvement, and builds rapport and trust among team members. And it can mitigate business risk by uncovering unforeseen pitfalls and hazards.”

When we know, we should want to know more. But what about when the well is dry? What do we do when there’s no foundation to formulate a plan or express an opinion? In my experience, a lot of people will make it up. They’re too embarrassed or their ego is too big to say, “I don’t know.” Too many people are conditioned to show no weaknesses or, worse, they’re plain ol’ bullshitters. Unfortunately, the B.S. artists frequently get away with their shams because others are too embarrassed (or too fearful or too much of a sycophant) to challenge them.

I like to surround myself with people who are comfortable – contented, really – about saying they don’t know, they don’t have an answer. They have a genuine interest in gathering facts and ideas.

I was reminded how important this was by my friend David. It wasn’t, “Hey, Paul, you should think about writing an article about the importance of having a curious mind.” The inspiration came from a long conversation about family, people we like (or don’t), food, books, music, movies, and politics. We got to a certain spot in the discussion, and he said, “I don’t know enough to have an opinion about that. What do you know?” 

I still feel refreshed when I think of that. His openness and honesty were, well, an inspiration. He’s a very smart guy, and smart people – confident and curious people – ask questions, dig around for facts and data, and seek out knowledgeable individuals for their perspectives. 

Einstein didn’t come up that day, but it hit me later that he said, “The important thing is not to stop questioning… Never lose a holy curiosity.”

A questioning, fact-finding mindset goes beyond friendships, of course. It should be a societal imperative. It’s a mentality that can lift everyone up. And it’s an essential element in mentoring. Good mentors know this, even in legend. When the future King Arthur asked, “Would you mind if I asked you a question?” Merlin (the wizard who was also his teacher and advisor) answered, “It is what I am for.” 

We should all be for it.

Find the Courage to Ask and Receive

The Surprising Power of Questions, a recent article in the Harvard Business Review, is great but not surprising. It’s well accepted that asking questions “spurs learning and the exchange of ideas, it fuels innovation and performance improvement, it builds rapport and trust among team members. And it can mitigate business risk by uncovering unforeseen pitfalls and hazards.”

So, if asking questions is so important and productive why aren’t people more inquisitive? Why don’t more leaders create a culture of questions?

The HBR authors share some answers including egocentricity, apathy, overconfidence and not understanding the value of good questions.  But the most important reason, from my internal and external consulting experiences, is fear: Fear of the answer; fear of being wrong; fear of looking foolish; fear of having wasted time and money, fear of having to spend time and money, and fear of losing power.

It’s not only learning to embrace the question that’s important, it’s learning to embrace the answer.

Yes, we need the courage to ask, to have the inquisitiveness to learn more, and to take the initiative to interact with our stakeholders. But we need the courage and ability to put the organizational needs above our own; we need to identify the anxieties and work our way through with an “eye on the prize.” Nelson Mandela said, “I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.”

Fear has come into play when I’ve been asked to help fix a problem concerning corporate or brand reputation. The expectation is the delivery of a new public relations program, story placements, or an advertising campaign. It’s the “stuff” of communications and marketing that is wanted. Unfortunately, there is often less of an interest in first determining the issues – asking and answering the questions – underpinning the problem. Leaders must not be intimidated by what research might uncover.

Future leaders must also learn to question; it’s an essential element in a mentoring relationship. Good mentors know this, even in legend. When the future King Arthur asked, “Would you mind if I asked you a question?” Merlyn answered, “It is what I am for.”

In the workplace, we need to be open to Q&A from those above, below and beside us. But seeking questions and answers is also of personal importance. There’s no way to fix or foster a relationship unless one is open to an exchange, and hearing and acting on the information.

I’ll end it here with some questions: Was this helpful? How do we move this forward? How have you found success in this arena? What other articles, resources on this subject have you found valuable? When have you encouraged others to seek questions and answers? I welcome your answers.

Between posts, I invite you to follow me on Twitter @pauloestreicher.

Thanks for Asking

Decision-making will never be the same in the age of big data, algorithms and artificial intelligence. We’re fortunate to have such massive amounts of information at our disposal. But there’s a big difference between data and intelligence, between information and insight.

While our reliance on digital sources grows, a recent Harvard Business Review article makes the case that surveys remain one of the best ways of measuring employee engagement and intent. The lesson is that, in addition to querying our databases, we must continue to query our employees (and constituents, customers, investors, etc.). Surveys remain relevant in the digital age.

More broadly, when there's an issue or opportunity, people don't ask enough questions. Yes, use your analytics. Use your judgment. But asking creates engagement. Asking offers a degree of acknowledgement and validation.

Some may see surveys as annoying – even invasive – or vehicles only to justify what the survey sponsors want to know. Those are all indications of poor survey design or bad intent. Surveys are often too long, have little incentive to complete, or contain obvious language bias.Designing a survey and reaching the appropriate audiences are not trivial. You know, it’s the old “garbage in, garbage out” routine.

So, there’s actually a lot on the line when it comes to asking good questions. The novelist Thomas Berger said, “The art and science of asking questions is the source of all knowledge.” And the way one asks questions (see Nobel Prize winner Richard Thaler's work on choice architecture) can help "nudge" behaviors in the direction of positive change.

There may be other reasons why surveys are less appealing these days. There’s less ownership and more anonymity in observing online behaviors and sifting through the numbers. And sometimes we don’t ask because we don’t want to know. I have teed-up surveys only to have them pulled, more than once in my career.

We need the courage to ask, to have the inquisitiveness to learn more, and to take the initiative to interact with our key audiences. In the business arena, for example, there are many questions to ask but even some basic ones – too often unused – can save untold time and money:

Do we have an understanding of the problem?

What needs to be accomplished and by when?

Who are the people, organizations, etc. who have influence over our success or failure and what are their issues/concerns?

Where are the gaps in our understanding and how can we use those to do/make something new?

Is there something that needs to be stopped, promoted or changed?

What resources are needed and how do we access them?

Asking goes beyond information gathering and good business practice; it can create and deepen relationships. Anxiety about receiving unflattering news or believing the investment is not worth the return must be weighed against the power new knowledge would bring and who comes along with it.

This article also appears in O'Dwyer's PR.

I invite you to follow me on Twitter @pauloestreicher.