What is your question for the day?

The power of questions has been known for a long time. In the words of Jonas Salk, developer of the polio vaccine, "What people think as the moment of discovery is really the discovery of the question." It is not that "The wise man doesn't give the right answers, he poses the right questions," said Claude Levi-Strauss. Albert Einstein said, "The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has it own reasons for existing." In philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurti´s words, "To ask the right question is far more important than to receive the answer." And one of the famous innovators of today, Elon Musk said, "I think that´s the single best piece of advice: Constantly think how you could be doing things better and questioning yourself."

In our world of rapidly advancing information technology, finding answers is possible almost at the click of a mouse. However, to get useful answers we must first ask the right question. And technology is not much help in formulating that right question. That ability remains the prerogative of us human beings. Fortunately, it is a skill and we can sharpen with practice.

Questions can help us in many ways:

• Questions can help us visualise possibilities: "What would I do if I had no fear?"
• Questions can engage others: "What´s on your mind now?" "What else?"
• Questions can put a lens on assumptions: "Why do we do things the way we have been doing?" "Can we do them differently?"
• Questions can prompt in-box thinking: "What should we do in this situation?" or out of the box thinking: "What could we do in this situation?"
• Questions provide direction. We could ask, "What should we do with this problem employee?" or we could ask, "How can we help this employee perform better?" The direction of our subsequent actions is likely to be quite different for each of those questions.
• ​Questions can help us discover our larger purpose: "Why do we do what we do?"
• Questions can help us strategise and prioritise: "If I am saying yes to this, what am I saying no to?"
• Questions can help us find ways to operationalise planned objectives: "What steps can we take to achieve our objective?"
• Questions can help us find more efficient processes: "How can we do this better?"
• Questions can help us keep discussions on track: "How is what you said related to the issue we are discussing?"
• Questions can help us be better leaders: "What can I do to empower others?"
• Questions can help us connect with others: "How can I help you?"
• Questions can help us be more impactful at what we do: "How can I serve others well today?"
• Questions can help us to be grateful and more contented: "What are two things I am grateful for today?" 

Would you like to harness the power of questions? If yes, consider asking yourself, "What is my guiding question for the day?