asking questions A few days of pondering after my "question" meeting with Tom, here is the deal:
I am going to learn how to ask people questions, so that they tell me about themselves, their issues, and indirectly deliver the solutions to their problems themselves. Noble cause... well, I am sure it will bring me further in life.

So, there are "na�ve" questions, which "sophisticated" people may overlook, like: "How does that work?" "Why is it important?" "What happened?" (James knows I am really good with this question! James, what happened?!?)

These questions are the hardest in the world, because I always dive in and try to fix the problem with some kind of straightforward, pragmatic solution, that then obscures other and maybe even better solutions. So, if the issue at hand is an ice berg, and I am in a helicopter circling above, trying to get a complete overview.

Overview overview overview...

What is the issue?

When ...

• does it happen?
• will the consequences be felt?
• must it be resolved?

Why...

• is this a problem?
• is it important?
• did it start?
• does it continue?
• did it now work?

Who...

• cares about it?
• is affected by it?
• created it?

Where...

• else does it happen?
• else can I learn from?

Then define the issue, problem, and its glass walls: "What have you done?" "What would you do?'' "How would they react?"

In the end, it is about "passing the buck" to the other... "What else?" "What do you think?" so that they get talking.

And, it is always instructive to have a nice fruitful dialogue with yourself... "Why have I always done it this way?" "What is affecting my perception? What might happen if it changes?" "What possibilities may exist that I haven't already considered?" "What problems may be caused by solving this problem?"

"What is stopping me from solving this problem?"  ¶ 6:18 PM