The Most Powerful Question In The World.

What is the most powerful question in the world? The answer may surprise you. That's because the most powerful question in the world is not out of the ordinary, it’s just not ordinarily used. What is it?

The answer is..."What do you think?"

That’s it. “What do you think?”, is the most powerful question in the world and here’s why and how you can use it during your everyday interactions. The results are amazing.

This question does something that we don’t see enough of in our business world. It invites others to participate, to share their voice and opinion, to be present, and to allow others to listen.

So much of our business interactions are spent telling others what we think, or hearing what others think without ever being asked what we think. We tend to spend much more time advocating positions than seeking to understand the positions and interests of others. We don’t ask enough questions.

I was in a meeting with the CEO of a major multi-national brand and his direct reports recently. They were discussing how to deal with an internal structural challenge impacting how they went to market. As the meeting progressed, I observed that each executive gave their opinion as to what might be done to address the challenge. The first person spoke. Then the next person spoke their belief. Then the next person on the team, and so on. I observed that this team was actually not working together but instead speaking at each other with opinions as though they were universal truths, with no acknowledgement that they were subjective personal perspectives, not facts or truth at all. At no time, did anyone ask a single question.

After several minutes, the team had voiced several opinions but had not advanced any closer to a solution. At that moment, I made my observation to the team, and asked them to spend the next 10 minutes only asking questions of one another and trying to build upon ideas instead of knowing it all. After only 5 minutes, the team had advanced considerably towards a solution.

The point with this story is that to speak your opinion at work is not the same as collaborating. Speaking your opinion followed up with the most powerful question in the world, “What do you think?”, gives birth to collaboration.

Why is this question so powerful? With this seemingly simple question you...

Acknowledge the most basic of human needs...to be recognized as having value just for existing. That’s what we call humanity. At a subconscious level, we humans feel that connection when it’s sincere. It is one of the most powerful drivers of engagement there is.

Invite others to participate in a real exchange of ideas. You recognize that although your idea may be a great one and based on solid experience, the opinions of others may be complimentary and add value.

Make curiosity an important value and attribute of your conversations. People begin to build on one another’s ideas and progress is released from the trap of other people’s certainty.

Demonstrate openness to other ideas. This is so important in today’s business world filled with “experts” and know-it-alls. It’s refreshing and inspiring to see openness instead of need to control and fear coming from leaders and management.

Collaborate with others in a much more meaningful way. A way driven by curiosity and learning verses knowing and appearing to know.

Learn and build solutions together. This allows you to move more efficiently to getting on with the business tasks at hand.

So how can you leverage the power of this question and see a difference in your work relationships, interactions, and business results?

Use it. Use it a lot. Use it all the time.

I’ve gotten into the habit of ending all of my emails with this question. No matter what I am discussing, sharing, or writing about, I end my mails with this question. The results are amazing. People react with great enthusiasm and interest. I hear things from people I had never heard before. More ideas. More perspectives. More feedback.

When I’m in conversation with others in meetings, I end all of my opinion sharing with this question. I try to never put forth an idea without asking others what they think about what I just said. You can also ask others what they think about what someone else just said to move collaboration deeper.

Give it a try. Make this powerful question as much a part of your vocabulary as “I think...”. You’ll notice results immediately.