Today, I present to you … the one hundredth Smart CEO Question!
And I thought we might mark the occasion with a special question.
The aim of these blog post questions has been to provide you with questions that you might not have considered before or maybe they simply reminded you of questions you already knew but had got out of the habit of using.
Many, if not most of the previous 99 questions were for internal use – meaning they were questions you’d ask yourself to help organize your thinking, direct your thinking to something that should be receiving your attention or gain clarity about an issue you might be wrestling with.
There was usually an end in mind, hopefully in the form of a useful answer!
Which is why I believe this is a special question.
Because the purpose of this question is solely to create even more questions.
You see, this is a question specifically designed to ask other people.
And a smart CEO you might also wisely teach others to ask you this question.
But enough teasing …
The question is … “What am I not asking you that I should be asking?”
Cast your mind back to the most recent conversation you had with a team member, supplier or customer where you were trying to get to the bottom of something.
If you’d have asked that question during the conversation, do you think you might have ended up reaching a better … or even a completely different conclusion.
And if you’re not sure about that, then think back to the last time you were on the other side of a conversation like that.
Now I bet you can think of a question that they should have asked you.
Am I right?
So put this question in your repertoire and you might just be surprised at the answer, I mean question you are rewarded with.