The Importance of Asking Good Questions: Uncovering Truths and Unlocking Opportunities

I keep six honest serving men

(They taught me all I knew);

Their names are What and Why, and When

And How, Where, and Who.

-Rudyard Kipling-

In the often perplexing journey of life, it isn’t the answers that propel us forward but rather the potency of our questions. The shift from knowing everything in our 20s to a barrage of uncertainties in our 60s is a testament to this. Life’s complexities can evaporate clear-cut answers, leaving only the mist of questions behind.

Our quest for knowledge should then pivot toward curating a rich collection of questions. As I’ve found over time, each question opens a waiting door, leading us to uncharted territories of thoughts, opportunities, and wisdom.

Over my life, I have learned that questions open closed doors that open to new opportunities, thoughts, and ideas. Some, when asked, make me squirm. Others rupture with caged-up wisdom and counsel.

Socrates, the Ancient Greek philosopher, rather than expounding philosophy, employed what we now call the  Socratic method of asking questions to unpack truths.

In Genesis 3, Adam and his wife Eve cower among Eden’s greenery. God knows where they are, but they do not. So he peppers them with questions.

“Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.” And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” (Genesis 3:8–13, NIV)

The questions probe, expose, and confront. We need all three to uncover our lives.

Most questions are not of our device. We learn from others’ great questions. Over time, I have found sources of great questions. Let me share a few.

When something trying happens, Michael Hyatt counseled:

“What does this experience make possible?” Or, “What one small thing would change the current situation?”

Bill McCartney, a long-time University of Colorado football coach, might have problems with a player. His question was: “Can you help me understand what it is like to be you?”

When you are ready to act, ask:

What’s missing? (Especially if everyone is sure.)

When you are looking to change jobs, ask:

Am I running toward something or running away from something?

When you tighten from worry or anxiety, ask yourself:

Is this useful?

When you are making a decision, ask four questions.

What is the worst that can happen if we do this?

What’s the best that can happen if we do this?

What’s the best that can happen if we don’t do this?

What’s the worst that can happen if we don’t do this?

It is only by asking good questions do you get good answers. If you ask no questions, you get no answers.

What’s your best question?