Andrew Grace Associates

How can I find the career that will make me happy and support my family? How can I create a positive relationship with a difficult co-worker? How can I move my career forward? Questions, questions, questions. We have a million of them each day. Some are simple. What shall I eat for lunch? Others are more complex. How can I care for my aging mom and have energy to keep up with my 3 year old?

There are questions that we ask ourselves and questions that we ask others. With each of these, consider finding the answer by asking more questions. Ready to try?

Questions To Ask Yourself

In the question about caring for your mom, would it move you closer to resolving the issue by asking, "What are the available community resources?" "What are the costs?" "Does she have the funds?" "Is she eligible?" "What would she agree to?" "How can I support my mom emotionally at this time? You get the idea. One question leads to another as you process the factors to reach your "right" answer.

Questions To Ask Others

Some of the reasons we ask questions of other people: gather information, create understanding, build relationships, open possibilities and collaborate. One female attorney considered flexible and part-time work by asking. "Has this organization supported flex time in the past?" "Does the organization view attorneys who work part-time as less committeed?" "How does a flexible work schedule impact career development in this organization?" By asking questions rather than immediately offering opinions or answers, you keep emotional stumbling blocks out of the discussion and explore issues in a learning environment.

In her book, Change Your Questions, Change Your Life, Marilee Adams presents this idea of "Question Thinking" as a means to transform thinking, action and results. She describes a fictional character who learns to use questions to make decisions and move toward his desired goals.

She encourages readers to try this process by asking, "Have you ever asked a question that made a positive difference in your life? Has someone asked you a question that made a positive difference in your life?"

What do you think? Are you willing to try to ask a question to find an answer?