Why Sometimes You Should Unask the Question: The Zen of Business Strategy

In the world of business, we're often trained to seek answers—better solutions, faster processes, bigger growth. But what if, sometimes, the most effective strategy isn’t in finding the answer, but in unasking the question?

This might sound counterintuitive at first, but it's a core idea from Zen Buddhism. The concept of Mu, often translated as “no,” “none,” or “unask the question,” invites us to reconsider whether the questions we're asking are even the right ones in the first place.

In Zen practice, Mu is used to challenge limited thinking. When a monk asks, “Does a dog have Buddha-nature?” and receives the answer Mu, the lesson is that the question itself is too limiting. The monk must step outside of the binary framework (yes/no) to truly understand.

But how does this apply to business? Let’s explore.

1. Reframing Problems

In the fast-paced world of business, leaders often get stuck asking narrow, limiting questions. “How do we beat the competition?” or “How do we increase sales in this struggling market?” But sometimes, the most powerful insights come from reframing the question entirely.

Take Netflix. Instead of asking, “How do we improve our DVD rental business?” they asked, “How can we revolutionize how people consume entertainment?” This shift in thinking led them to streaming, a disruptive model that upended the entertainment industry. This idea is echoed in “The Innovator’s Dilemma” by Clayton Christensen, where he explores how asking the right question can help companies embrace disruption rather than resist it.

Similarly, “Blue Ocean Strategy” by W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne suggests that instead of focusing on beating the competition, companies should unask the question of competition altogether and focus on creating uncontested markets.

The lesson: Rather than getting stuck in conventional thinking, sometimes you need to unask the question and look for broader, more innovative possibilities.

2. Innovation and Disruption

Many businesses focus on improving what already exists. “How do we make this product better?” or “How do we streamline this process?” But real disruption often comes from questioning the fundamental assumptions behind those products and processes.

Tesla didn’t ask, “How do we make a better gasoline engine?” They asked, “Do we even need gasoline engines at all?” By unasking the question and stepping outside the framework of traditional car manufacturing, they paved the way for electric vehicles to become mainstream.

“The Lean Startup” by Eric Ries is another great resource for this kind of thinking. It encourages businesses to rethink their product development process, focus on learning, and adapt their strategy, which often means letting go of rigid assumptions and embracing uncertainty.

Mu in this context allows businesses to break free from the old ways of thinking and create entirely new markets.

3. Customer-Centric Thinking

Many companies fixate on “How do we sell more of this product?” when the more profound question might be, “Do customers even want this product?”

Apple is an excellent example of a company that unasks the usual questions about customer needs. Steve Jobs famously believed that customers didn’t always know what they wanted. Instead of asking, “What features do people want in a phone?” Apple focused on “What kind of experience will customers love?” That shift in thinking led to groundbreaking products that customers didn’t even realize they needed—until they had them.

Warren Berger’s “A More Beautiful Question” explores the power of questioning and how businesses like Apple used questions to challenge assumptions and discover new possibilities. Asking more profound, open-ended questions can lead to more significant innovation and stronger customer alignment.

4. Pivoting in Crisis

In times of crisis, businesses often ask, “How do we survive?” when a more valuable question might be, “Is there an opportunity here?”

The COVID-19 pandemic offered a real-world example of this thinking. Many restaurants were asking, “How do we keep people coming through the door?” But the ones who embraced Mu began asking, “What else can we offer?” Some pivoted to selling meal kits, online cooking classes, or grocery delivery, turning a crisis into an opportunity for reinvention.

This pivot aligns with concepts from “The Art of Strategy” by Avinash K. Dixit and Barry J. Nalebuff, which emphasizes thinking outside conventional frameworks in order to respond effectively to challenges.

By unasking the initial survival question, they opened the door to new revenue streams that outlasted the pandemic.

5. Leadership and Team Management

Sometimes in management, we get stuck on the question, “How do I get my team to perform better?” But the real question might be, “Am I providing the right environment for my team to thrive?” or even, “Is this the right team for this task?”

By stepping outside the binary approach of “good performance vs. bad performance,” leaders can create environments where their teams have the freedom to excel. It’s not always about fixing the problem; it might be about changing the framework in which the problem exists.

This thinking is echoed in Simon Sinek’s “Start with Why”, which urges leaders to look deeper at the motivations and core purposes that drive teams and organizations. By asking “Why,” leaders often find better ways to align their strategy with their team’s strengths and values.

The Power of Mu in Business Strategy

Mu teaches us that sometimes the best answer is not an answer at all—it’s the ability to step back and reconsider whether we’re asking the right questions. In business, as in life, the problems we face are rarely as simple as they seem. By unasking limiting questions, we can unlock new possibilities, innovate in unexpected ways, and find opportunities where none seemed to exist.

So, next time you're facing a tough business decision, consider if you’re asking the right question—or if it's time to unask it.