Wednesday, November 25, 2009

So, I have a question...

Its been just over a year since I starting this ramble. As I look back, it has, indeed been "not so random." The downside, I suppose, is that if I am not feeling particularly helpful, it becomes very difficult to write - as is evidenced by the flurry of posts at the beginning, and the waning for the last 7 months or so.

I got an interesting email from Dad today. In it, the author investigates the power of asking good questions. I was reminded of a class that I used to teach on Continuous Process Improvement. I would post a declaration on the slide, and say "I want you to respond to this statement, without agreeing or disagreeing" The statement was "Everything that I will get out of this course is up to me". The suggestions and statements would fly for quite a while - until someone finally asked a question - rather than making a statement.

A question is the only way to respond to such a statement without in implicit agreement or disagreement. It is the only way to keep an open mind. A question implies open-ness. A question is forward looking. A GOOD question leads us down a path - not toward an ANSWER (I think that far too many people have answers) but on a journey. In our lives, in our culture, we value having the right answer. The problem, of course, is that once you know the answer, it becomes the ONLY answer. Your mind shuts down to any of the other myriad of possibilities.

How differently would we respond to the world around us if we learned to value the question?