CM 126: Hal Gregersen on Why Questions are the Answer

What if the secret to getting unstuck isn’t the right answer, but the right question? Hal Gregersen, author of the book, Questions are the Answer: A Breakthrough Approach to Your Most Vexing Problems at Work and in Life, came to this conclusion after interviewing over 200 high-impact leaders. Through these conversations, he learned they were asking a different kind of question, one he calls catalytic. In this interview, he explains that these kinds of questions “…challenge an assumption that is fundamentally false in a way that provides me and perhaps others around me energy and motivation to do something about it.” Along the way, Hal’s found that these kinds of questions can help us get unstuck in all aspects of our lives. For example, Hal shares the story of a leader lamenting the distance he feels in his relationship with a teenage daughter. After spending just four minutes on a catalytic questioning activity called a “question burst,” this same leader made a starting realization: “At the beginning of the conversation…I was so focused on how to not lose her…But I was asking the wrong question. I really need to figure out how to help her grow and flourish…[to] let her find her.” Hal is the Executive Director of the MIT Leadership Center and a senior lecturer in leadership and innovation at the MIT Sloan School of Management. He’s authored or co-authored ten books, including the bestseller, The Innovator’s DNA with Clay Christensen and Jeff Dyer. Episode Links Andreas Heinecke and Dialogue in the Dark Using Catalytic Questioning to Solve Significant Problems by Hal Gregersen Sociologist Amitai Etzioni Debby Sterling and Goldieblox More information on question bursts in this HBR article by Hal The Fearless Organization by Amy Edmondson Video clip of Ed Catmull explaining Pixar’s Brain Trust Creative Clarity by Jon Kolko Lior Div and Cybereason Video clip of Jeff Wilke Walt Bettinger Marc Benioff Bea Perez Room 13 If you enjoy the podcast, here are three ways you can support the work we do. First, subscribe so you’ll never miss an episode. Second, tell a friend or family member, so you’ll always have someone to talk to about it. Third, rate and review the podcast wherever you subscribe, so you can help listeners find their next podcast. You can learn more about Curious Minds Host and Creator, Gayle Allen @CuriousGayle and www.gayleallen.net.