Warren Berger

To get the best answer-in business, in life-you have to ask the best possible question. Innovation expert Warren Berger shows that ability is both an art and a science. It may be the most underappreciated tool at our disposal, one we learn to use well in infancy-and then abandon as we grow older. Critical to learning, innovation, success, even to happiness-yet often discouraged in our schools and workplaces-it can unlock new business opportunities and reinvent industries, spark creative insights at many levels, and provide a transformative new outlook on life. It is the ability to question-and to do so deeply, imaginatively, and “beautifully.” In this fascinating exploration of the surprising power of questioning, innovation expert Warren Berger reveals that powerhouse businesses like Google, Nike, and Netflix, as well as hot Silicon Valley startups like Pandora and Airbnb, are fueled by the ability to ask fundamental, game-changing questions. But Berger also shares human stories of people using questioning to solve everyday problems-from “How can I adapt my career in a time of constant change?” to “How can I step back from the daily rush and figure out what really makes me happy?” By showing how to approach questioning with an open, curious mind and a willingness to work through a series of “Why,” “What if,” and “How” queries, Berger offers an inspiring framework of how we can all arrive at better solutions, fresh possibilities, and greater success in business and life.

The Power of Inquiry to Spark Breakthrough Ideas

A More Beautiful Question

Mary Carmona

A beautiful question is an ambitious yet actionable question that can begin to shift the way we perceive or think about something—and that might serve as a catalyst to bring about change.

Why cant they make a better foot? To do this, he had to make a change of pronouns: Specifically, he had to replace they with I. 

• What trends are having the most impact on my feld a how is that likely to play out over the next few years?

• Which of my existing skills are most useful and adaptable in this new environnement—and what new ones do I need to add?

• Should I diversify more—or focus on specializing in one area?

• Should I be thinking more in terms of finding a job—or creating one? 

What is the agenda behind this information? How current is it? How does it connect with other information I'm finding? 

This all comprises the first stage of innovative questioning first confronting, formulating, and framing the initial question that articulates the challenge at hand, and trying to gain some understanding of context.

Makes me wonder... Is knowing how to re-wire a plug a good indicator of inquisitiveness? That you were raised to assume that something that's broken is an opportunity to fix rather than something that needs replaced.

If so, what might that say for social mobility and for gender norms. Would you more likely teach a son or a daughter how to be handy?

Brian

But Christen thinks it's also important to encourage kids to solve problems in a hands-on way, via challenging household tasks and chores. That worked for IDEO cofounder David Kelley. His career as a problem-solving designer was forged in a childhood home where "if the washing machine broke, you went and tried to make a new part to fix it."

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