Questions are powerful tools that can help people find information, gain understanding and take action. However, people often don't ask enough questions due to fear of what they may learn or not wanting to take action as a result. For leaders, success relies on asking the right questions at the right time, and continuing to ask follow up questions until a clear understanding and answers are achieved. Leaders must not accept superficial answers and instead push for deeper insights that reveal motivations, barriers and opportunities to move forward.

1. Questions and Answers

2. Wanna know something?

4. Questions are powerful.

5. They help you nd.

6. They help you see.

7. They help you know.

8. They help you act.

9. And yet...

10. We don't ask
them enough.

11. (No, really.)

12. (We don't.)

13. Sometimes we're
scared of what we'll
nd out.

15. That we'll give the
elephant in the
room a name.

17. (Something other than
Jumbo, that is.)

18. We’re scared that
we'll have to actually
do something
as a result.

19. And we don't want to.

20. (Harumph.)

21. Sometimes, it just
doesn't occur to us
that the easy question

22. (and the easy answer)

23. Was too easy.
And didn't actually help.

24. Was too easy.
And didn't actually help.

25. It didn’t
move things forward.

26. Or close things down.

27. (Which is, ostensibly,
why you asked the
question at all, right?)

28. But if you’re a leader?

29. A manager?

30. An entrepreneur?

31. A human?

32. Your success depends
on questions.

33. How you ask.

34. What you ask.

35. When you ask.

36. And on the answers
you accept.

37. Or rather, the answers
you don't.

38. Your success depends
on asking what needs
to be asked.

39. On asking the questions
others won't.

40. Or don't.

41. Or don't even see.

42. Your success
depends on
not accepting the
rst answer as nal.

43. Or even the second.

44. It depends on
never accepting
"I don't know."

45. It depends on
never accepting
"I don't know."

46. It depends on
never accepting
"I don't know."

47. It depends on
never accepting
"I don't know."

48. (Because you need
to know.)

49. (And so do they.)

50. No, you need to go
one step further.

51. You need to ask:

52. "Well, if you did know,
what would the
answer be?"

53. (Trust me on that one.
It works.)

54. You need to ask the
next question.

55. The one that's
uncomfortable.

56. The one that makes
them think.

57. The one that makes
you think.

58. And then?

59. You need to ask the
question after that.

60. And get answers.

61. Real ones.

62. Answers that reveal
motivation.

63. Answers that reveal
intent.

64. Answers that reveal
barriers.

65. Answers that reveal
opportunities.

66. Answers that reveal
knowledge.

67. Answers that reveal
knowledge.
(or lack thereof )

68. Answers that reveal
vision.

69. Answers that reveal
vision.
(or lack thereof )

70. You need answers that
open new lines of
questions.

71. Or close old ones.

72. You need to keep asking
until there aren’t
any more questions.

73. You need to keep asking
until there aren’t
any more questions.

74. You need to keep asking
until there aren’t
any more questions.

75. You need to keep asking
until there aren’t
any more questions.

76. You need to keep asking
until you get
the answers you need.

77. Until you understand.

78. Until you know
enough to act.

79. So, what’s next?

80. (You know the answer.)

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