We are taught from an early age that having the right answer makes you a winner. And before long, our child-driven curiosity is replaced by the need to fit in and avoid the perceived humiliation of asking what might seem like, a dumb question.

The ability to ask questions is a leader’s superpower – and the more absurd, the more weird and dumber they are, the better!  Truly, asking genuinely curiosity-driven questions for which you do not have the answer, is an art form, and a learned capability.

Absurd, weird, dumb questions force the listener to think laterally, to challenge their assumptions and to colour outside their box. They also implicitly give permission to whoever is answering to be a co-explorer for a while, versus having the ‘right’ answer from the start.

The source of most innovations is a great question; and sure, not every question is going to be a ‘great’ question, and yet it only takes one ‘great’ question to open up a whole new world of possibilities, and transform our lives.

‘What if …?’ questions are an example of a powerful questioning approach because they invite people to think outside the box and consider different perspectives. And for that matter, simply starting ALL your questions with the word ‘What …?’ would have a profound transformation impact for you, your team, and the wider world.

So, what if we gave people awards for the best question and not the best answer? What would change in our world?