What if you asked as many questions now as you did when you were a kid? What if you asked “What if?” more often?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Warren Berger’s A More Beautiful Question<\/em> urges you to recapture your childlike curiosity and inquisitive nature. Berger contends that, if you ask more questions (and the right questions), you’ll get more out of life both personally and professionally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Continue reading for an overview of this book that will help you be more reflective, insightful, and ultimately successful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n Asking questions is a crucial part of critical thinking: Questions are how you increase your knowledge, and searching for answers to your questions is the basis of creativity. However, as you grew up, you likely fell out of the habit of asking questions. Warren Berger’s A More Beautiful Question<\/em><\/a> highlights three fundamental questions\u2014\u201cWhy?,<\/em>\u201d \u201cWhat if?,<\/em>\u201d and \u201cHow?<\/em>\u201d\u2014which you almost certainly asked all the time as a child. Berger explores how to use these questions effectively as an adult, arguing that, by asking the right questions<\/a>, you can discover how to succeed in both business and life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Berger<\/a> started his career as a journalist, where he re-learned the importance of asking questions<\/a>. Now, he works as a full-time author and public speaker. He also leads questioning skills workshops for both corporations and schools, serving clients such as Microsoft, PepsiCo, and NASA. A More Beautiful Question <\/em>(2014) and its follow-up, The Book of Beautiful Questions<\/em><\/a> (2018), compile Berger\u2019s lessons about questioning and critical thinking to make them accessible to anyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019ll start with some foundational information about why questions are so important and why we stop <\/em>asking questions as we grow up. We\u2019ll then review the three fundamental questions: \u201cwhy?<\/em>\u201d, \u201cwhat if?<\/em>\u201d, and \u201chow?<\/em>\u201d. Finally, we\u2019ll discuss how answering those questions can help you find professional success and a happy, fulfilling life<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Berger begins by explaining that asking questions is the basis of learning. <\/strong>If your question has a concrete answer\u2014whether it\u2019s as simple as \u201cWhat\u2019s one plus one?\u201d or as complex as \u201cHow does nuclear fission work?\u201d\u2014then you\u2019ll learn something new once you find that answer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, Berger points out that not all questions have straightforward answers. Searching for answers to those more nebulous questions is the basis of creativity.<\/strong> If your question doesn\u2019t have a concrete answer (like, \u201cHow can I express my feelings through art?\u201d) or the answer hasn\u2019t been fully discovered yet (such as, \u201cWhat is dark matter<\/a>?\u201d) that same curiosity might drive you to create a new painting or make a new scientific breakthrough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In fact, Berger says that the questions we ask are often more important than the answers we find. In the modern world, anyone with internet access can find factual answers to just about any question. However, mere facts are useless by themselves; you need to ask the right follow-up questions to find out how to use<\/em> those facts to your advantage.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, suppose you\u2019re a CEO and you want to find out how a competitor is doing. You could get an answer in moments simply by looking up your rival company\u2019s stock price. The more difficult\u2014and more important\u2014question is why <\/em>the price is what it is. If your rival\u2019s stock prices have suddenly jumped or fallen, what did the company do recently to cause that change? What could you do to copy its successes or avoid its mistakes?<\/p>\n\n\n\n If questions are so important, why do we stop asking them? Berger places the blame on schools\u2014the exact place where curiosity should be most encouraged\u2014and says that formal education tends to train people out of asking questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Berger says this happens because schools rely on rote learning<\/a> and discipline.<\/strong> Instead of encouraging children to ask questions, formal schooling does the exact opposite: It trains them to sit quietly and memorize whatever information they\u2019re given. Furthermore, students are judged by their ability to recall facts during tests, rather than by their creativity or their curiosity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Because of this rigid approach to learning, by the time students graduate from high school, they\u2019ve often almost completely stopped asking questions. Unfortunately, that leaves them ill-prepared for adulthood, when the ability to ask important questions could change their lives\u2014or change the world<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, when Sir Isaac Newton asked why <\/em>an apple had fallen to the ground, searching for the answer led him to develop the theory of gravity that we still use today. When eBay founder Pierre Omidyar<\/a> asked how <\/em>he could use the internet to create a worldwide marketplace, he created one of the most successful companies to emerge from the 1990s dot-com bubble<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019ll discuss Berger\u2019s lessons about relearning how to ask important questions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n To start, we\u2019ll review the three fundamental questions\u2014the titular \u201cbeautiful questions\u201d\u2014which are \u201cwhy?<\/em>\u201d, \u201cwhat if?<\/em>\u201d, and \u201chow?<\/em>\u201d. These words form the basis of questions that can increase your knowledge and invoke your creativity to solve problems. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The first of the three fundamental questions is \u201cwhy?<\/em>\u201d. <\/em><\/strong>Berger says this is the first type of question you should ask when you\u2019re faced with a difficult or unfamiliar situation. Despite their simplicity, \u201cwhy\u201d questions have the power to help you understand complicated issues and challenge your assumptions<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, most people simply accept that they need to sleep. However, when somebody thought to ask why <\/em>people need to sleep, it created an entirely new branch of science dedicated to answering that question.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Just as important as \u201cwhy?\u201d<\/em> is its counterpart, \u201cwhy not?\u201d<\/em> Berger says that asking \u201cwhy not?\u201d leads you to try out new ideas and experiment with possible solutions. <\/strong>However, the real power of \u201cwhy not?\u201d<\/em> is that it challenges your assumptions about what\u2019s possible and what\u2019s necessary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To continue the previous example of sleep science, one experiment started with the question, \u201cWhy not go without sleep and see what happens?<\/a>\u201d This question challenges the assumption that sleep is necessary in the first place. It turned out that sleep is <\/em>necessary, but even that information is something scientists wouldn\u2019t have known for sure without asking an appropriate \u201cwhy not?\u201d question.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The second fundamental question is \u201cwhat if?<\/em>\u201d Berger says this question helps you break out of your usual patterns of thinking; and, in doing so, you either come up with novel ideas<\/a> or combine old ideas into something new. In other words, asking \u201cwhat if?\u201d can help you make connections between thoughts that you haven\u2019t connected before.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, the rideshare app Uber came from just such a \u201cwhat if?\u201d question<\/a>. Cofounders Garrett Camp and Travis Kalanick got stranded in a snowstorm in Paris, and they wondered: \u201cWhat if you could use your phone to secure a ride?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, to turn a creative idea into reality, you need to answer the third and final fundamental question: \u201c<\/strong>how?<\/em><\/strong>\u201d<\/strong> <\/em><\/strong>Berger says this is the most difficult step\u2014fully answering \u201chow?<\/em>\u201d <\/em>often requires patience and commitment to your idea because the answers tend to be much more complicated than they seem at first. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Continuing the example of Uber, the co-founders had come up with a new concept: using a phone to secure a ride. However, that concept on its own was worthless\u2014founding the rideshare company that made them billionaires first required them to answer how <\/em>they were going to do that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Furthermore, that answer (a relatively simple smartphone app) led to numerous other questions, as Berger says is likely to happen: For instance, how <\/em>would they compensate the drivers? How <\/em>could they make riding with strangers as safe as possible? How <\/em>would they outcompete local taxi services? Fully answering these \u201chow?<\/em>\u201d <\/em>questions led Camp and Kalanick to found one of the world\u2019s most successful startup companies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019ll explain how you can use fundamental questions to find success in business and life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Berger says that, just like schools, many companies value knowledge and obedience over curiosity and creativity. However, the most successful companies are those that encourage employees to ask questions and search for innovative answers. <\/strong>Even if you\u2019re not in a leadership position at work (and therefore can\u2019t encourage others to ask questions), you can still ask questions yourself and try to convince your coworkers and bosses that such questions are highly valuable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The modern business world changes quickly, and companies need to frequently reinvent themselves to stay relevant. That\u2019s why employees and leadership alike should always be asking fundamental questions, such as: <\/p>\n\n\n\n You\u2019ve already seen what happens when companies ask fundamental questions<\/a> with the previous example of Uber. For an example of what happens when businesses don\u2019t <\/em>ask those questions, consider Toys “R” Us. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Toys “R” Us used to be a powerhouse in the children\u2019s toy market. Then, competitors like Walmart and Amazon started crowding the market with huge stores\u2014online and offline\u2014where people could get many of the same goods more cheaply and conveniently. However, Toys “R” Us\u2019s leadership seriously underestimated the threat to their market dominance<\/a>: Nobody thought to ask, \u201cWhy <\/em>do people like our competitors more than us? What if <\/em>online purchasing is more than a fad? How <\/em>might we compete with these new business models? Why not<\/em> implement them ourselves?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Because it failed to ask and answer questions like these, Toys “R” Us was forced out of the marketplace by disruptive competitors, and the company declared bankruptcy in 2017.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Berger suggests that to encourage people to ask fundamental questions that support their company, you could try replacing brainstorming<\/a> sessions with what he calls question-storming<\/a> sessions<\/em>. Instead of asking employees to come up with ideas, ask them to come up with questions. There\u2019s no pressure to answer those questions right away; they\u2019re simply possibilities for the group to explore later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Berger believes this practice is more effective at generating ideas than traditional brainstorming sessions because, if the only expectation is to ask questions, there\u2019s no pressure to also come up with solutions on the spot. This reduced pressure helps people\u2019s thoughts to flow freely, and it makes them less likely to censor their ideas.<\/strong> By contrast, in brainstorming sessions, people naturally feel like they have to come up with \u201cgood\u201d answers. Therefore, they might hold back potentially transformative ideas that they feel aren\u2019t good enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It may seem like Berger\u2019s method would only generate problems and not solutions. However, Berger urges you to remember that questions themselves\u2014especially \u201cwhat if?<\/em>\u201d questions\u2014can directly lead to solutions.<\/strong> That\u2019s why, once a fundamental question has identified a serious issue, your next step should be to ask \u201cwhat if?<\/em>\u201d <\/em>questions, even ones that propose strange and outlandish options. Finally, choose one (or more) of those \u201cwhat if?<\/em>\u201d <\/em>scenarios and start asking \u201chow?<\/em>\u201d <\/em>you could make it a reality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Questions aren\u2019t only useful in business. Berger says that asking questions about your own life can help you discover what makes you happy<\/a> or your purpose in life<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nOverview of Warren Berger’s A More Beautiful Question<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Why We Need Questions<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Why We Stop Asking Questions<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
The Fundamental Questions<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d (and \u201cWhy Not?\u201d)<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat If?\u201d and \u201cHow?\u201d <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Ask Questions in Business and in Life<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Ask Questions to Succeed in Business<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Tip: Replace Brainstorming With Questioning<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Ask Questions to Find Fulfillment<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n