Less Answers, More Questions. Ask These Powerful Questions to Improve at Work and in Life

Everyday Better is LinkedIn News’ weekly personal development podcast hosted by (me)?Leah Smart. You’ll hear from some of the world's brightest minds and bravest hearts about how to live with more clarity and intention every day, in and out of work.?Subscribe to the show's newsletter?here. Make sure you're subscribed on Apple Podcasts, here. This week, I talked with Athletic Greens President and COO, Kat Cole .

?? Press play below to listen without leaving LinkedIn.

In his book "Personal Socrates," Marc Champagne ???? suggests, "At any point, we are one question away from a different life." He's likely onto something. However, asking the right question isn't always easy. Open-ended questions can veer you away from quick solutions and force you to slow down. Complex questions can muddle your thoughts, while targeted ones may directly challenge deeply held beliefs.

Your willingness to ask questions can also be influenced by your environment, background, or emotional state, sometimes making it feel risky. Part of this apprehension stems from our educational system. After primary school, the focus often shifts away from nurturing a child's natural curiosity. In "A More Beautiful Question: The Power of Inquiry to Spark Breakthrough Ideas," Warren Berger reveals that children between the ages of 2 and 5 ask around 40,000 questions. Beyond that point, education deprioritizes curiosity and leans towards formality, emphasizing right answers and strong standardized test scores.

This focus on finding the "right" answer rather than fostering a sense of wonder, exploration, and learning leaves many of us prioritizing quick solutions over thoughtful questions. While strong problem-solving skills are valuable in our everyday lives, where speedy decisions are often required, making room for better questioning can improve our work, relationships, and overall sense of clarity. Studies indicate that asking questions can make you more likable, boost your self-awareness, and foster innovation at work.

?? Press play below to listen without leaving LinkedIn.

There are so many types of questions but some of the most rewarding are called powerful questions. My guest this week, Kat Cole , President and COO of AG1 uses them on her teams and in personal relationships. These questions are focused on getting people to explore familiar territory with a new lens or to move into new territory entirely. Powerful questions often cause whoever is asked to pause–that's how you know you're getting somewhere good.

So, how do we get better at asking powerful questions? The answer is simple: practice.

What You Can Try

The shift from not-so-powerful questions to powerful ones has a few, sometimes flexible, components:

• Closed-ended to open-ended
• Wordy and multifaceted to less than five words
• Stream of consciousness to clear and pointed

Below are examples of powerful questions you can use for your own reflection, on teams at work, in personal relationships or when you're aiming for a birds-eye view. Note: I recommend working through the self-directed questions in a journal, with a coach or a therapist.

Self?

• What do I want??
• What am I willing to be wrong about??
• What am I not acknowledging??

Others

At Work

• What does “good” look like in our work together??
• What challenges are we likely to run into??
• What are we not saying??

In Personal Relationships

• What’s most important to you??
• How can I best support you??
• What are we not saying??

Bird’s Eye View/40,000 Feet?

• What’s really going on here??
• How can we take a different perspective??
• There has to be a better way. What other possibilities are there??

In our fast-paced world, it's easy to seek quick answers. But as we've explored today, the true magic often lies in asking the right questions. Whether you're on a journey of self-discovery, looking to strengthen your relationships, or aiming to elevate your team's performance, powerful questions act as the compass that guides you to more meaningful insights and actions. They challenge the status quo, ignite curiosity, and open the doors to possibilities.

Remember, the questions we're brave enough to consider today shape the answers—and the world—we create tomorrow.

A quote to remember

Kat Cole on powerful questions and practical intuition in uncertainty

"When at a moment of decision or an opportunity, I ask, 'What does it look like if it goes well?' That keeps everything in perspective. What could go wrong is obvious. I don't even need to give that any oxygen."

?? Press play below to listen without leaving LinkedIn.

Dig deeper

Below are three studies, two books and one TED Talk.

Studies

1. Likability and Question Asking:"The Surprising Power of Questions" by Alison Wood Brooks and Leslie K. John was published in the Harvard Business Review in May 2018. This piece focuses on how asking questions can make you more likable and can lead to better conversations.
2. Learning and Retention:"The Double-Edged Sword of Pedagogy: Instruction Limits Spontaneous Exploration and Discovery" published in Cognition explores the balance between teaching and question-asking as learning methods.
3. Innovation and Questions:"Creating a Culture of Questioning" is another Harvard Business Review article that discusses how a culture that encourages questioning can lead to innovation. It's authored by Ed Catmull, one of the co-founders of Pixar Animation Studios.

Books

1. Co-Active Coaching: The Proven Framework for Transformative Conversations at Work and in Life
2. The Book of Beautiful Questions: The Powerful Questions That Will Help You Decide, Create, Connect and Lead

TED Talk: Stacey Abrams on the 3 Questions to Ask Yourself About Everything You Do

Everyday Better is LinkedIn News’ weekly personal development podcast hosted by (me)?Leah Smart. You’ll hear from some of the world's brightest minds and bravest hearts about how to live with more clarity and intention every day, in and out of work.?Subscribe to the show's newsletter?here. Make sure you're subscribed on Apple Podcasts, here. This week, I talked with President and COO of Athletic Greens, Kat Cole on how she uses questions to strengthen her most important relationships and practical intuition to guide her at work.