Mark these Questions: Solving Problems with the "Dynamic Dozen"

The late Peter Drucker famously wrote that he was a better advisor than most because he focused on finding the right question, while others were looking for the right answer.

His view was a radical one, but the insight is clearly impactful: asking the right questions is the first step towards solving a problem.

Yet not all questions are created equal: There are certain questions that have stood the test of time and provide immediate value for problem solving and decision making. In this short post, I'd like to share such valuable questions with you - a dynamic dozen of concrete queries.

A Compilation of Great Questions

For a question to be great (fertile or stimulating), it has to meet four criteria:

1) It allows you to reframe or expand your thinking about an issue.

2) It enables the collection of relevant experiences and insights about an issue.

3) It triggers novel options, ideas, and opportunities

4) It leads to judicious actions or decisions.

The following 12 questions meet most, if not all these criteria. They focus on clarifying the problem, exploring the solution, and preparing the execution. Here they are with a brief comment on each one of them:

Problem-focused Diagnostic Questions:

1.What‘s the key question to ask about this problem? (This is also called questionstorming.)

2.Are we solving the right problem? (This is my favorite one, it can lead to simpler solutions.)

3.What′s another view on this problem? (This could include the customer/supplier/expert/newbie view.)

4.What assumption should we check (out)? (These long-held beliefs might block novel solutions.)

5.Are we looking at this at the right level? (This question is key for any strategic discussion.)

Solution-focused Generative Questions:

6.What criteria would a solution meet? (This is also called the miracle question.)

7.What already works to reduce this problem (who/where)? (This is based on positive psychology.)

8.What would make the problem even worse? (This is referred to as reverse brainstorming or the flip flop technique - so don't forget to inverse the answers or stop the identified counterproductive actions.)

9.What (simple) solution are we not seeing? (This is perhaps the most difficult question of all.)

Implementation-focused Starter Questions:

10.What first step would reduce the problem? (This is called the Laotse question and it's astonishingly effective to avoid paralysis by analysis.)

11.How can we elegantly avoid (initial) obstacles? (This helps to overcome action inertia by thinking of clever ways to create momentum for a solution.)

12.Whom should we involve/ask for help? (This is the question that managers don't ask enough according to the late Steve Jobs.)

Picking the Right Question at the Right Time

As great as these questions are, you cannot ask all of them in a single meeting. So how can you know when it's time for a certain question?

You can't.

You have to play - to some extent - question roulette: You need to randomly try out a question from the list above, and chances are it will increase the quality of your discussion.

In case this answer has not satisfied you, I can provide certain pointers to the use of the above questions, but the caveat remains - you never know which question might lead to a breakthrough. So here goes a tentative questionology 101:

• If you are under extreme time pressure, then try question 7.
• If you're stuck and can't get any fresh ideas, then try question 6.
• If your team has a tendency to get lost in details, make sure you frequently launch question 5.
• If you're under heavy resource constraints (time, money, staff. etc)., then give question 2 a try.
• If you're in a planning or strategizing meeting, it's never wrong to ask questions 4 and 5.
• If you need to activate your colleagues or want an element of fun, then try question 8.
• If you're looking for a way to conclude a discussion, then ask question 12.

You already know how I'm concluding this post, don't you? You guessed it: I'm asking you to tell us your favorite question from the quick & dirty dozen above, or add one that you have found useful in your problem solving discussions. Plus, I'll leave you with a few pointers to useful (and inspiring) probing material.

For further reading / question probing:

Questions to ask yourself as a leader: https://www.firehouse.com/leadership/article/21032350/leadership-lessons-99-questions-for-reflection

Questions as icebreakers for teams: https://teambuilding.com/blog/team-building-questions

The approach behind the visualization of the 12 questions is described here:

A concise guide to the art of asking fertile questions:

Using questions to stimulate better ideas: