The Idea: “Judge a man by his questions rather than by his answers.” – Voltaire
“Just Do It!” – Nike owns this declaration in our lexicon. The Nike “Swish” is iconic, and Nike is more than a magnificent branding machine, they are cultural influencers on the highest level. But what makes Nike special is their skill in asking different types of questions.
Nike’s CEO Mark Parker – a thoughtful and introverted leader of the firm – leads by helping others refine and think through their ideas. Nike’s leader is a curious questioner by nature, and over the last ten years he has doubled the revenue of the company and more than doubled the profitability.
According to a recent Fortune magazine article, one of Parker’s special skills is his crafting of nuanced questions. After he asks one, his team leaves empowered to uncover the answer to the question and to act on it. The person who was asked the question, owns the question. No strings attached.
Nike’s Chairman Phil Knight is equally as convicted about asking questions; he is known for barking one question to members of his team: “Why the hell did you do that?”
Knight and Parker are more concerned with “why” versus “what” questions. “Why” questions get to the root; they require an explanation, and thus introspection.
How many times have you sat down with someone who posed the following tired questions? “What are you looking for in a partner?” Or, “what is hindering your success?”
These types of questions actually put people on the defensive and hinder openness and sharing. They close down most people and do not encourage exploration or imagination.
The Nike culture reminds us that prior to asking a question, it’s necessary to reassess the underlying assumptions of the question. We must think differently about why we ask questions.
You don’t ask questions for your own advantage; You ask questions to get to the intent or the challenges buried deep within.
Most of us are addicted to asking “what” questions, failing to appreciate that “why” questions uncover an individual’s hidden motives.
Practice advancing your relationships by uncovering growth opportunities with a different set of questions. Here are three ideas:
- Why is your strategy not delivering the results you expected?
- Why are you enjoying success and how do you capitalize on this momentum?
- Why do you trust your new innovation and what forces could disrupt your business?
Questions unearth hidden assets, discover unstated motives and gives you the freedom to pivot in a new direction. A thoughtful question encourages you to honestly confront cause and effect, allowing you to get to the root of an opportunity.
A good question is more powerful than a good answer.
