The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk

Episode #294: Warren Berger - How To Ask More Beautiful Questions

Commonalities of sustaining excellence:
- Intelligent... Smart
- Hard-working
- Ambitious
- Humble -- This is a really important quality. No ego or arrogance. They admit when they are wrong. Willing to acknowledge when they're wrong. They are open to listening to others and their ideas.
- Curiosity - They are not trapped by their own expertise. They are open minded, curious, looking around.
- Able to adapt
- Communication skill -- The willingness and ability to ask great questions
The genesis of becoming a questionoligist -- Warrens calls himself a questionoligist. The art and science of asking questions.
- He originally was a journalist and developed a skill for asking questions doing that job.
- "Questioning was a tool of the trade"
Warren was writing about design and the idea of questioning kept coming up with leaders in business.
- "The ability to ask good questions would lead them thru the innovation cycle."
The holy trinity of questioning:
- Why? Trying to understand
- What if? Ideation, brainstorming
- How? Get practical. "How can we take the first step?"
Big open ended questions -- They are the stems
- Each one does something completely different
Questioning as a manager:
- Find time to have the conversations and ask questions of your team members
- Must be thoughtful and prepared
- We've gotten out of the habit of being questioners, and now it's always about doing. "Slow down, ask questions. Why are we pursuing this strategy? Understand why?"

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