The Book of Beautiful Questions: The Powerful Questions That Will Help You Decide, Create, Connect, and Lead

by Warren Berger

What is the culture I want, and what actions and conditions are likely to produce such a culture?

Why not have every manager or supervisor throughout the company participate in a weekly or monthly “Ask me anything” session?

Why haven’t we done something about that problem we’ve been having with defective parts?

TO ENCOURAGE A CULTURE OF INQUIRY, ASK THESE FOUR QUESTIONS How can we make it safe to question? Institute a strict “no judging” rule; all questions welcome, the more the merrier. How might we make questioning rewarding? Celebrate productive questions by verbal recognition. To go further, offer bonuses and other tangible incentives. How might we make questioning productive? Train people in how to question in ways that produce results. How can we make a culture of inquiry stick? Make questioning a central part of meetings and other regular activities.

So ask yourself, What if every meeting began with a question? What if the company held regularly scheduled “question days”—during which groups come together to ask, What assumptions can we challenge today? What if you ask employees to come up with one ambitious question a week, to be shared with their colleagues?