The Power of Asking the Right Questions

People ask me all the time, "How are you so positive?"

My answer? "I work at it."

But what if they asked instead, "What do you do that helps you maintain your positivity?"

Now, that’s a different question—one that leads to a far more valuable answer. Instead of just acknowledging that I work on my mindset, I’d have the chance to share how I do it—the habits, the mindset shifts, and the daily actions that help me stay in a positive, productive state.

The Right Questions Unlock the Right Insights

See the difference? One question gets you a surface-level response. The other opens the door to strategies, insights, and meaningful learning.

Now, imagine if leaders took this approach.

Instead of asking: ?? "Are you struggling with this project?" Try: "What’s been the biggest challenge in moving this forward?"

Instead of asking: ?? "Do you feel engaged at work?" Try: "What gives you the most energy in your role?"

Shifting from “yes/no” or vague inquiries to curious, open-ended questions creates a flywheel effect. It fosters deeper conversations, leads to greater self-awareness, and ultimately sparks solutions that wouldn’t have surfaced otherwise.

The Flywheel Activity: Putting It into Practice

One of my favorite exercises is what I call the Flywheel Activity. It’s a simple but powerful way to uncover the behaviors and habits that create momentum in your life. When I am stuck, I literally use this—whether in my business or personal life.

If you’re having issues recruiting, maybe you need to shift your beliefs about it. Now, I’m not saying it’s not hard, but if you have to do it anyway, wouldn’t it be easier with a positive belief (mindset)? And it starts with asking the right questions to yourself.

Most people I talk to understand this concept, but they don’t practice it with the diligence and commitment that I do. I listen to people all day long as they talk about everything in their life that isn’t working—repeating it over and over again. So today as we are experiencing so much turmoil, let's focus on the postive and try the flywheel approach.

The Flywheel Activity: Creating Momentum in Your Life

1?? Identify a success pattern – Think of a time when you were thriving, whether in your mindset, work, or personal growth.

2?? Break it down – What made it successful? What thoughts were you having? What actions were you consistently taking?

3?? Build the flywheel – Now, ask yourself: What’s not working in my life, team or business? Pinpoint the negative beliefs that are driving your behaviors. Then, challenge yourself: What do I believe or think about this? What should I think about it?

The next step is to change the code—shift your thinking, rewrite those beliefs, and repeat the process. Identify success, journal it, and create a pattern of intentional growth.

Recognize that success is rarely accidental. The key is to deliberately repeat the thoughts and actions that create momentum, keeping your flywheel spinning.

When you understand both what doesn’t work and, more importantly, what does work, you gain control over your progress. And it all starts with asking the right questions.

>>>>Listen to my interview with closers.io here about my perspective on training and development.

Want to Go Deeper?

I’ve created tools to help you build this kind of awareness in your own life and leadership. If you’re interested in taking this work further, check out:

?? The IP book – A step-by-step guide to discovering and refining your internal processes for sustained growth.

?? The IP Journal + Workbook – A daily tool to help you track, reflect, and build the habits that fuel your success flywheel.

The right questions don’t just get answers. They unlock transformation.

So, I’ll leave you with this: What’s one question you can start asking differently today?

Let’s talk in the comments! ??

-April

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