Eat Big Questions for Breakfast

It's never been more crucial to your career and life to ask the big, hairy, thorny, difficult, insightful, powerful, profound, get-to-the-heart-of-the-matter questions.


I've been studying how to make it easier to do great work for several decades now. After close to a million people surveyed and thousands of people interviewed, I've come to one undeniable conclusion...


True power and empowerment and controlling one's destiny comes not from seeking the best practice or best solutions... It comes from asking the right question at the right moment.



So, what's a great question look like, and when and how do you ask them, and what do you do with the resulting conversation? (Glad you asked!)



My good friend and fellow disruptive-simplifier, Michael Bungay Stanier, author of Do More Great Work, has asked a bunch of his friends and people he admires to share their One Best Question. As MBS says: One great question often unlocks the many answers you're seeking. Here are the One Best Questions he's posted to date, in 30-second video snippets...



• Is love available, even here?  (And: a variation of same Q) (Sparks care, compassion)

• If not me, who? And: If not now, when? (The answer is almost always You! Now!)

•  What are you really trying to make happen? (And: a variation of same Q)

• If you could have things go exactly the way you want, how would they go? (Articulate your vision)

•  What would you do if you weren't afraid?  (Kill fear and anything is possible!)

•  [Silence... no question]  (Create the space for others to fill in the blank)

• What if failure's not a deal breaker? (Asks us to be bold)

•  What can you do now?  (Helps to get you unstuck)

•  How do I want them to feel?  (Reinforces emotional connection)

• What qualities/values do you want to bring to this experience? (Moves accountability to that person)

•  What can we do?  (Gets us away from what we can't do)

•  What have you seen something like this before?  (Gets us unstuck)

• What's the bottom line? (Gets us to the point!)

•  What would you do if your life depended on it?  (Are you really doing what you want to do?)

•  What have I done to improve so I'm better this week than last?  (Short-term goals, improvements)

•  What was the last time you said, thought, felt "I love my work?"  (Shame on us if it wasn't recently!)

•  What matters now?  ("Now" provokes in-the-moment thinking)

•  Who would you be without that thought?  (Change our thoughts, we can change anything!)

•  What's calling you?  (Invites us to listen to what truly matters)

•  What's that about?  (Invites us to explore what's driving our thinking)



And three of my favorites that haven't been posted yet (Hey MBS, saving me for last? ;)

• What makes you... you? (Deep introspection, insights)

• How do you define success? (Most crucial daily question)

• 5 Words or Less: If you could send a message to your younger self, what would it be? (Reminds us what truly matters...and what doesn't)


Ask, and ye shall receive:


One great question unlocks all the answers you seek




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Two final questions...About Tomorrow:


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