It's a conspiracy. This part is true: the damn cat was curious. But it didn't kill the cat. The government wants you to THINK he's dead! He knows too much.You want to know where the cat really is now? I'll tell you. He's on the beach on a little island in the Caribbean called Saba living fat and happy. He's wearing flowered shorts and shirt. That's right, top AND bottom. And you KNOW he's rich because cats usually can't afford clothes, let alone flowered shorts AND shirt.You want to know why he's fat, happy and rich? Because he was curious. He asked a lot of questions. He took the time to read between the lines and figure out what was going on around him.I can't tell you what he figured out, but it must have been insightful because the government staged his death and now look at him. (More shocking news about the cat in a minute.)
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I have an old friend named Collin. I met Collin in the 90's in San Francisco when I was working for PwC. We became friends and when we would go out to dinner or walk around town, I learned a valuable skill. I learned to ask questions. Collin would ask questions all the time. It didn't matter who or where. He would just ask questions. And people responded with smiles and insight every time. I learned a lot at PwC, but this was probably the most valuable thing I learned.There's so much to learn and most of us just don't care enough to ask questions. Maybe because it's work. It requires critical thinking. Or maybe people are afraid of what they might hear. Sometimes the truth hurts or requires change. Or maybe we're just in a rush to accomplish our own agenda. It takes a couple minutes to ask a question and listen to the answer. And yes, usually it means we have to listen to the answer. That's hard when most of us just want to talk and keep moving.If you run a team, and you think feedback from your teammates is valuable, there's a price. You'll have to spend 5 min or so listening or reading responses each week. This might even lead to more discussion, which can take more time.If you have all the answers and you want your people working more, don't ask questions. But, don't forget to take away their coffee maker. And the refrigerator. And toilets. In fact, just go back to the 1970's when companies didn't even allow coffee at your desk... That's a blog post for another day based on something I learned when I asked my Dad a question about company culture once.Open your ears and you'll be amazed at what you hear. Here are some of the things asking questions can do for you.
- Questions keep you engaged
- Questions keep your team, customer, children, spouse... anyone engaged
- Questions give the other person a chance to talk
- Questions make people like you
- Answers give you insight
So I challenge you. Ask your team questions. Ask your customers questions. When you get home, ask your kids questions. Ask your spouse questions. You'll be amazed at what you learn, even after 20 years of marriage. If you're lucky enough to have your parents or grandparents around, ask them questions too. If they're no longer with us, you understand why that's so valuable.Sick of your teenager's 1 word answers? Ask different questions. D'uh! Some questions illicit 1 word answers. Sometimes that's fine, but in some cases, our objective is to get the other person talking.Oh, and I'd suggest you ask questions frequently, because sometimes people aren't in the mood to talk. That's ok, too. Ask questions the next night or a few days later... Wouldn't it be dumb to save up all our questions until Thanksgiving and then ask them all over one really long meal? Of course, that's dumb. That's why asking just 1 or 2 different questions on a continuous basis is a lot better all around. Because, sometimes you get good insight and sometimes you don't.
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Now, about that cat. I can't verify this, but I've heard he's not alone on that island in the Caribbean. Word on the beach has it that Elvis asked a lot of questions too.Here are 160 questions to ask your employees and customers.
PropFuel can automate the process of asking your employees and customers questions on a continuous basis. It takes 5 minutes to set up and you can quit any time... but you wont.
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