Questions of the Day: "What is Important About ___________?" "What Will That Do for You?"
I have introduced these questions before, and want to revisit them because I have found them to be the most important ones in my repertoire. These questions replace "Why". In our trainings, we encourage people to make their environments "NO WHY ZONES". One might ask, "What is important about creating No Why Zones?" Why is an unpredictable question. We might get the same answer we would get if we were to have asked one the questions listed above, and that would be fine. However, we risk getting defensive response, and where there are negative beliefs involved, why will often reinforce the belief.
"What is important about ___________?" asks a person to go inside and identify the values and beliefs that are tied to something. A young person might say, he wants to be the next Kobe Bryant. If you ask about the importance of being like Kobe, he might say, because Kobe is respected. If you ask what else is important, he might answer that he makes a lot of money. You can ask the question several times, and you will unpack the goal to discover that the young person perhaps wants to be respected, make a lot of money, have nice cars, and a pretty wife.
"What will that do for you?" is a similar question. It might unpack values, and it might lead to more of a cause effect answer. "What will it do for you to be like Kobe might lead to "I will be able to buy anything I want." I suggest alternating the questions.
You can ask these questions anytime you would be tempted to ask Why. It isn't that it is bad if you forget and ask Why, but try these on and develop them as new habits and you will learn much more about others as they learn about themselves.
