Yesterday, I wrote about leaders who don’t like questions and one reason why. Today I would like to highlight another reason. This one doesn’t have to only apply to leaders [1]. It can apply to all of us.
Laziness.
“Anything that forces people to have to think is not an easy sell, which highlights the challenge of questioning in our everyday lives – and why we don’t do it as much as we might or should. Clearly, it is easier (and more “efficient,” as a nonquestioning business executive might say) to go about our daily affairs without questioning everything. The neurologist John Kounios observes that the brain finds ways to “reduce the mental workload,” and one way is to accept without question (or even to just ignore) much of what is going on around us at any time. We operate on autopilot – which can help us save mental energy, allow us to multitask, and enable us to get through the daily grind.”
Warren Berger [2]
As described above, being lazy means not asking questions, not looking for information that challenges our world view, and accepting, without question, information that does. Questioning and challenging our assumptions, decisions and long-held beliefs is hard work. In a busy and complex world, it is easier to go with what we think we know.
It requires self-awareness, confidence and a touch of courage to slow our thinking down and ask better questions. Your coach can help you.
If you don’t have immediate access to your coach then you can start with the question, “How could I be wrong?”
[1] Neither does the first.
[2] Berger, W. (2014). A More Beautiful Question: The Power Of Inquiry To Spark Breakthrough Ideas. New York: Bloomsbury.