Asking the Right Questions

When was the last time you had an "Aha" moment?

Meaning the light bulb suddenly went off in your head, and your brain was full-on processing a new and sudden insight or perspective. Maybe the answer to a long-standing issue becomes apparent, or you can see the right path to take. Or you find the inspiration and energy needed to move forward by finally recognizing and understanding what has been holding you back.

• The question is, what sparked your new revelation, redirected your thinking, or opened your mind?
• Did it happen due to constant ruminating on the matter?
• Did worrying about it or ignoring the issue help?
• Or by hearing reverberations from an echo chamber filled with prevailing opinions or affirmations from "yes" people?

My guess is probably not.

Based on my experience and what I have learned, Aha moments originate from a sudden comprehension or epiphany that upends or jolts existing thought processes, perspectives, or perceptions. In coaching, I see it when restating what I hear from a client, including what I may sense "below the surface," but using my own words, or by offering an observation that connects the dots on recurring patterns or themes that surface throughout a coaching engagement. However, I most often encounter a client having an Aha moment when I ask the right question(s). It is immediately noticeable when they have a puzzled look on their face, sit back in their chair, and look up and around, all while processing quietly or, at most, saying, "That is a good question" or "I need to think on that for a moment." I rarely get a quick response.

So what is the benefit of asking the right question? It focuses our attention on the right thing. In the opinion of W. Edward Deming, Engineer, Author, and Management Consultant, "If you do not know how to ask the right question, you discover nothing." And according to Thomas J. Watson, former IBM Chairman, and CEO, " The ability to ask the right question is more than half the battle of finding the (right) answer."

Finding the right answers by asking the right questions enables constructive change and growth. We learn and move beyond current thinking to see ourselves, others, issues, challenges, or the world around us from a different perspective, leading to the discovery of invigorating solutions to our problems or difficulties or long-sought answers to lingering questions.

Albert Einstein is quoted as saying, "If I had an hour to solve a problem and my life depended on the solution, I would spend the first 55 minutes determining the proper question to ask, for once I know the proper question, I could solve the problem in less than five minutes."

I am no Einstein, and you most likely aren't either, but hopefully, his point becomes engrained in your mind - focus on asking the right question(s). And unlike Einstein, most of us, at times, likely need a capable, independent, forthright, and trusted sounding board to get there.