You can’t find the right answer if you’re asking the wrong question
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“The uncreative mind can spot wrong answers, but it takes a creative mind to spot wrong questions.”
~Sir Antony Jay
When problem-solving, it’s so easy to fall into the rut of uncreative thinking. We can focus so much on answers and solutions that we lose sight of the question. And if we’re asking the wrong questions, we’ll often end up with the wrong answers.
How creative is your thinking? When faced with a problem, do you immediately turn to the tried-and-true solutions that you’ve always used? Or do you open your mind to new ideas? A good way to do that is to start asking some right questions, like these:
• Why must it be done this way?
• What is the root problem?
• What are the underlying issues?
• What does this remind me of?
• What is the opposite?
• What metaphor or symbol helps to explain it?
• Why is it important?
• What’s the hardest or most expensive way to do it?
• Who has a different perspective on this?
• What happens if we don’t do it at all?
You get the idea—and you can probably come up with better questions yourself. Physicist Tom Hirschfield observed, “If you don’t ask, ‘Why this?’ often enough, somebody will ask, ‘Why you?’” If you want to think creatively, you must ask good questions. You must challenge the process.
AGREE!!
Each time, I go to my academic mentor or advisor to get a solution for my problem, he asked me certain questions (never give me answer). I followed his questions and get the answer on my own without him explaining it.
Sometimes, answer lies underneath the question. Thanks for sharing this article, John.
This is so true! As a life coach, my role is to help people move beyond limiting beliefs to think creatively and see the possibilities. One of my favorite questions to ask is what if you could…?
Once people allow themselves to see what could be possible their mind often works more creatively to fill in the blanks and find a way to make it work.
Great questions John!
The problems we face and promise for the solution.
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
We have an amazing resouce from our Creator, who desires intimate fellowship with us. We can push prayer and God promises to answer, but even more is that He desires a relationship with us. Praise and thank Him today for promising to hear and answer!
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Great post John. Creative thinking is somewhat foreign to people who have been simply following orders and taking direction for their entire lives. I love to encourage my students, clients, and colleagues to continually challenge their own thoughts, and respectfully, of those around them.
Thank you for sharing.
Mike
Excellent post for leadership, when we stop asking the right questions I think we get comfortable with the place we are at and THAT is the beginning of the end. Great leaders are in love with progress.
M_
Love this – especially the last one – what happens if we don’t do it at all? During my Navy days, I often wished leadership would have asked that question – especially after turnover over commanding officers. The new leader somehow felt upsetting the apple cart and completely reorganizing the command was usually the best course of action. Doing nothing in some cases would have been a better option.
Navy Chief, Navy Pride
So true-People often throw questions out into the atmosphere without really assessing their question and wonder why they aren’t getting the answer their looking for. As always, excellent post Dr.Maxwell.
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Excellent blog – It is so true that we tend to always follow the same path! leading us to the same results! Over and Over again! Your right we must be creative when problem solving.
Generally, I agree with your observances. Sorry John, but I think this one is ridiculous. Firstly, if I know the resolution of the situation, let it be done. Secondly, I do not waste my time reevaluating situations. Thirdly, why would I undermine my own leadership by doing this exercise?
Truth–one size does not fit all.
Truth–one question does not fit every circumstance or problem.
Truth–the short term fix may not be the long term resolution i.e. band-aid vs suture.
Truth–yesterday’s solution may well be tomorrow’s problem.
Fantastic post John. In sales especially, you’re probably presenting too much beyond just getting to the root of the problem if you’re not getting the desired answer. Active listening caused by the right questions usually can either save you time, get you the desired result — or both.
I like this post because I am dealing with an issue in our church that I keep stewing over rather than asking questions about how to solve it.
I am good on creativity in presenting ideas for sermons or lessons, but when it comes to personality issues in the church I get stuck in the rut of trying to let it solve itself.
Thanks!
You know…this could almost be a list of how to troubleshoot just about anything. As I was going through this post, I couldn’t help but think of how similar these questions are to the ones I ask when troubleshooting computers and technology.
@Ellen, I think if you push the ideas here too far, you may fall in danger of what you’re describing.
To your first point, what if the problem only seems like what you’ve encountered before? The same solution may not be effective…or as effective.
To your second point, times change. What worked in the past may not work today. It would seem to me that re-evaluating things would help us by including all the knowledge, experience, changes and other advancements since the last time we dealt with a similar situation.
Lastly, I’m not clear as to how this would undermine one’s leadership. Could you clarify that?
Grace, love and peace.
I too like this post. I have some very difficult personalities taht I must deal with. I hope that this will help me in doing so.
I too like this post. I have some very difficult personalities that I must deal with. I hope that this will help me in doing so.
John,
Great post.
Ellen, I think you are missing the point of John’s post. The point isn’t when faced with a routine or expected situation that you cannot use a tried and true solution. Rather, think about the times when you are facing a new challenge/problem (not expected situation), or you have a recurring challenge/problem. If you simply react and rely on your intution without evaluating the issue, then you could end up not dealing with the critical element that will move things forward.
Stephen Covey used an example of cutting a path through a jungle. A good manager is one who figures out how to keep machetes sharp and levels of effort to create a path x-wide moving through the jungle at y-rate per day. The leader says, are we in the right jungle?
Even with the routine it makes sense to re-evaluate approaches and solutions periodically. What if new technology is being introduced into your industry? Should you embrace it or not? What if you are doing everything “right” but sales are down? Shouldn’t you revisit what you think customers want and make adjustments?
As for undermining your own leadership, most places I’ve worked, whether the military, the tech industry, restaurants, or even volunteer organizations, people respect a leader who does take time to evaluate a situation and ensures that the right things are being done. You certainly don’t want to appear indecisive about things, but being collaborative, or at least not rushing to judgment by considering things for a few moments gives subordinates confidence in their leader.
This goes right along with the concept of “thinking outside the box.” Too often, though, this is applied to just the “solution box” and not the “question box”.
This was a great reminder for me to think outside of the “question box,” because when I can learn to do that, thinking outside of the “solution box” will happen simultaneously.
Thanks for the post.
This goes right along with the concept of “thinking outside the box.” Too often, though, this is applied to just the “solution box” and not the “question box”.
This was a great reminder for me to think outside of the “question box,” because when I can learn to do that, thinking outside of the “solution box” will happen simultaneously.
Thanks for the post!
Good word
Good point.
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I perfectly agree! I lead a group, some just prod along, no enthusiasm, no purpose, while some are passionate and enthusiastic. i think the difference is because of how they ask their life questions…
Thats a very educating thought….for me as aleader.
John
Always excellent stuff…..and always excellent advice. Thanks so much for all you do.
Really makes you think.
Fabulous questions! I also believe that the point of maximum creativity comes at the point of maximum instability. Of course, the ego like certainty and safety, so I also belive that we have to move beyond our ego (small self) to tap into the field of infinite possibility if we are to be more creative in our problem solving.
Very good insight. Asking question/s create rapport. This paves the way to communication and connection. Aside from that, it also develops interaction; and interaction leads to learning too..
A very nice post indeed.
We often fall into the trap of accepting the norms without questioning why. I have recently started trying the “5 whys” question-asking method to determine the root cause of why things happened and why things are necessary. It is a very effective method of getting to the root cause of most questions.