Typically when you're asked questions, others are looking for answers. At times, answers aren't the best answers, though.
I updated a recent blog post on how a mid-career professional can create a social media presence with a post-presentation video explaining the 11 steps covered at the live session. The video's addition changed the nature of the post, and I tweeted it with an updated title. Sharon Corasaro (@GrowingGold on Twitter) answered the tweet with several great tweets about the post, followed by a detailed comment on the post itself.
Based on Sharon's receptivity to the topic, I asked if she'd like a longer article on the 11 steps we'd been kicking around as a potential ebook from The Brainzooming Group. She said she would, and I asked for her thoughts on the content's value since we had varying perspectives about it.
I asked for answers, and Sharon gave me questions.
But you know what?
The questions provided exactly the answers I needed.
In replying to her email and thinking about the questions, a completely new idea for how the content could be used emerged. I hadn't considered this strategy before, but it could well be a much higher impact way to distribute the content and benefit an important audience for us.
I wanted fast answers, and Sharon offered incredibly thought-provoking strategic questions.
There's a big lesson there: the next time somebody's looking to you to answer a question or solve a problem for them, the most beneficial thing you can do may very well be to answer with a question instead. - Mike Brown
The Brainzooming Group helps make smart organizations more successful by rapidly expanding their strategic options and creating innovative plans they can efficiently implement. Email us at brainzooming@gmail.com or call 816-509-5320 to learn how we’ve helped brands get to great answers using just the right questions.
