Insight is the superpower that drives innovation and enables us to understand the world from other peoples’ points of view, be they customers or colleagues, advocates or competitors. This new book from data storyteller Sam Knowles explains how to ask smarter questions – questions that, by design, stimulate more useful answers. This is the shortcut to better productivity, fast-tracked innovation, and organisational success – for businesses, universities, charities, and governments. For too long, the simple act of asking questions has been overlooked as almost too trivial to contemplate. Asking Smarter Questions seeks to champion the art of curiosity by setting out a framework to make every question count. The fundamental building blocks of insight are data and information, joined together in new and often unpredictable ways. The way we surface new data and information and make meaningful connections between data points is by asking smarter questions. By taking this approach, you can make your organisation a less confrontational, more collaborative, and more productive environment in which to work – particularly in the more distributed and remote settings that will characterise the 2020s. Managers, directors, and leaders will find the universal principles, expert interviews, and data-driven recommendations a source of inspiration to share with their teams. Asking Smarter Questions is aimed at professionals in businesses and organisations across all sectors, and will help those working in many functions, including market research, intelligence, insight, analytics, strategy, marketing, communications, planning, product development, and innovation.

Now in paperback after six hardback printings, the damn funny...wild collection of bracingly intelligent essays about topics that aren't quite as intelligent as Chuck Klosterman'(Esquire). Following the success of Fargo Rock City, Klosterman, a senior writer at Spin magazine, is back with a hilarious and savvy manifesto for a youth gone wild on pop culture and media, taking on everything from Guns'n'Roses tribute bands to Christian fundamentalism to internet porn. 'Maddeningly smart and funny' - Washington Post'

Behind every great executive decision lies a smart question. Ask yourself this . Faced with a new budget or strategic choice, a potential employee or a client negotiation, a bright idea or an intractable problem, what questions do you need to ask? To test the projections, tackle the cause of problems, to make the right decision - the answer is simple. Ask the right question. Managers are all too often expected to lead with answers; to approach any situation armed with a company procedure or an off-the-shelf solution, but in an uncertain world, the right question is worth a world of standard answers. Asking the right question is the first step to understanding a business situation, and the first step to finding the right answer. Key Management Questions is your practical guide to intelligent management analysis and inquiry. It sets out searching questions to ask of your business, your colleagues and yourself - from shaping strategies to persuading people - and tells you where to find many of the answers. With this book you can make who, what, where, how andwhy your most effective business tools. In this practical guide Tom Lambert will help you to ask smarter business questions, of yourself, your business, your colleagues and your business partners, and across a full range of business challenges. Who are our most profitable customers? Who are our weakest competitors? What kind of managers do we need? Is this choice the best use of our resources? How long is the payback period? Discover the art of good questioning, and learn smart questions to ask about: Vision and mission People, purpose and performance Collaboration and culture Strategy and leadership Solving business problems Making business choices Finance and business performance Markets, selling and marketing Influence and persuasion Technology and e-business Change and transformation Learning and development Choosing and using consultantsThe answers that you find will take you closer to the real drivers of your business.

This book contains over 1500 provocative statements and related questions to inspire you to step into leadership conversations. It will kick start conversation with your team, or in one-to-one conversations. The questions are also designed for self-reflection as a leader (perhaps it's the most powerful purpose). Arranged under alphabetical topics, you can flick through this book and quickly find a question that relates to whatever situation you find yourself in. A question that will make you think and invite you to look at your situation from a different perspective. A recommended every-day resource for leaders everywhere - especially those building conversation cultures in their company.

This work provides school change leaders with tools, techniques, tips, examples, illustrations, and stories about promoting school change. Tools provided include histograms, surveys, run charts, weighted voting, force-field analysis, decision matrices, and many others. Chapter 1, "Introduction," applies a matrix for asking questions about change in four typical scenarios. Chapter 2, "Asking the Right Questions," presents critical questions regarding five stages of school improvement: preparation, focus, diagnosis, plan development, and implementation/monitoring. Chapter 3, "Answering the 'Where Are We Now?' Question," discusses ways to use data on student achievement, perceptual data, and the need to clarify roles and responsibilities. Chapter 4, "Answering the 'Where Do We Want to Go?' Question," applies the initiation, planning, and training stages of three models. Chapter 5, "Answering the 'How Will We Get There?' Question," contrasts the planning, training, and implementation stages of three relevant models. Chapter 6, "Answering the 'How Will We Know We Are (Getting) There?' Question," explores elements of assessing outcomes and reveals the importance of accurate monitoring. Chapter 7, "Answering the 'How Will We Sustain the Focus and Momentum?' Question" demonstrates the need for such critical elements as maintenance, institutionalization, and the PDCA tasks of check, act, and adjust plans. Chapter 8, "Bonus Questions" includes additional guidance for administrators on other aspects of school-improvement efforts. Chapter 9, "Using This Book," contains an index of tools and reviews scenarios and examples to further clarify the use of the tools described in earlier chapters. (Contains 21 annotated references and a 7-page index.) (TEJ)

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.

What hidden skill links successful people in all walks of life? The answer is surprisingly simple: they know how to ask the right questions at the right time. Questions help us break down barriers, discover secrets, solve puzzles, and imagine new ways of doing things. The right question can provide for us not only the answer we need right then but also the ones we’ll need tomorrow. Emmy award–winning journalist and media expert Frank Sesno wants to teach you how to question others in a methodical, intentional way so that you can find the same success that others have found by mastering this simple skill. In Ask More, you will learn: How the Gates Foundation used strategic questions to plan its battle against malaria How turnaround expert Steve Miller uses diagnostic questions to get to the heart of a company's problems How creative questions animated a couple of techie dreamers to brainstorm Uber How journalist Anderson Cooper uses confrontational questions to hold people accountable Throughout Ask More, you’ll explore all different types of inquiries--from questions that cement relationships, to those that will help you plan for the future. By the end, you’ll know what to ask and when, what you should listen for, and what you can expect as the outcome.

A collection of feminist essays steeped in “Solnit’s unapologetically observant and truth-speaking voice on toxic, violent masculinity” (The Los Angeles Review). In a timely and incisive follow-up to her national bestseller Men Explain Things to Me, Rebecca Solnit offers sharp commentary on women who refuse to be silenced, misogynistic violence, the fragile masculinity of the literary canon, the gender binary, the recent history of rape jokes, and much more. In characteristic style, “Solnit draw[s] anecdotes of female indignity or male aggression from history, social media, literature, popular culture, and the news . . . The main essay in the book is about the various ways that women are silenced, and Solnit focuses upon the power of storytelling—the way that who gets to speak, and about what, shapes how a society understands itself and what it expects from its members. The Mother of All Questions poses the thesis that telling women’s stories to the world will change the way that the world treats women, and it sets out to tell as many of those stories as possible” (The New Yorker). “There’s a new feminist revolution—open to people of all genders—brewing right now and Rebecca Solnit is one of its most powerful, not to mention beguiling, voices.”—Barbara Ehrenreich, New York Times–bestselling author of Natural Causes “Short, incisive essays that pack a powerful punch.” —Publishers Weekly “A keen and timely commentary on gender and feminism. Solnit’s voice is calm, clear, and unapologetic; each essay balances a warm wit with confident, thoughtful analysis, resulting in a collection that is as enjoyable and accessible as it is incisive.” —Booklist

From the bestselling author of A More Beautiful Question, hundreds of big and small questions that harness the magic of inquiry to tackle challenges we all face--at work, in our relationships, and beyond. When confronted with almost any demanding situation, the act of questioning can help guide us to smart decisions. By asking questions, we can analyze, learn, and move forward in the face of uncertainty. But "questionologist" Warren Berger says that the questions must be the right ones; the ones that cut to the heart of complexity or enable us to see an old problem in a fresh way. In The Book of Beautiful Questions, Berger shares illuminating stories and compelling research on the power of inquiry. Drawn from the insights and expertise of psychologists, innovators, effective leaders, and some of the world's foremost creative thinkers, he presents the essential questions readers need to make the best choices when it truly counts, with a particular focus in four key areas: decision-making, creativity, leadership, and relationships. The powerful questions in this book can help you: - Identify opportunities in your career or industry - Generate fresh ideas in business or in your own creative pursuits - Check your biases so you can make better judgments and decisions - Do a better job of communicating and connecting with the people around you Thoughtful, provocative, and actionable, these beautiful questions can be applied immediately to bring about change in your work or your everyday life.

John T. Chain, Jr., rose from a second lieutenantto four-star general and led ournational missile defense program. Mike Harper led ConAgra Foods from$636 million to $20 billion in 20 years andincreased its stocks value 150 times over. Ask Gary Cohen what these remarkable leadershave in common and his answer will bestraightforward: They use questions to generatefresh ideas, inspire committed action, andbuild an army of forward-thinking leaders. In Just Ask Leadership, Cohen steers you awayfrom the all-too-common idea that if youdon’t assert yourself with strong statements,you will not be respected. On the contrary,statistics prove that 95 percent of employeesprefer to be asked questions rather than betold what to do. Involving employees andcolleagues in decision making processesbuilds an environment rich with energy, excitement,and innovative problem solving. Just Ask Leadership outlines not only specificquestions to ask in certain contexts, but alsohow to implement question-based leadershipas a whole. Learn how to Spend more time onlong-term goals—and lesson short-term crises Build a culture of accountability Create unity and trust throughoutyour workforce Steer decision making to the mostappropriate parties Develop rapport while instillingrespect When you ask questions, you show respect—and you are respected in turn. It is thatsimple. A combination of Cohen’s proven expertiseand interviews with nearly 100 highly effectiveleaders, Just Ask Leadership explains howto harness the power of questions to makeyour organization more competitive, moreprofitable, and a better place to work.