Do you ask questions?

By: Roger Creasy

Socrates was a great teacher. He used questions to help students learn from things they already knew. He also used questions to drive his points in arguments. By using the right questions, you can put yourself in a position to better understand others, and how they think.

In sales, or negotiations, it is important to understand the person across the table from you. If you are the seller, you must understand the buyer's position as fully as possible before you can meet their needs with your product or service. If you are the buyer, you must fully understand what is being sold, the seller's thinking and position on pricing, and what is being offered.

As a leader it is important to use questions to find out exactly where your team is on projects, and to fully understand existing or possible future problems. At the outset of a project, good questions, even questions that cannot yet be answered, can help make certain your team understands your expectations.

Internally, asking yourself questions can help you understand yourself. Question your thought processes, your successes, and your learning experiences (some say failures. But, with the right self-questions, mistakes become learning experiences).

I hope to write more about questioning in future posts. Stay tuned. Why ask questions? Because, without questions, how can you grow and learn?