Questions > Answers

We, as humans and problem-solving entrepreneurs, are conditioned to chase answers.

What’s the best CRM? How do I raise my prices? What plugin should I use for X?

For me, it’s a compulsion. Even if my wife or kids just want to vent about their day, I immediately launch into solution-mode — rattling off a dozen ideas.

But, I’m starting to learn that burning all my energy on answers only scratches the surface level — a band-aid for the skin.

The value isn’t in having the right answers, it’s in asking the right questions.

Imagine you ask “What’s the best project management tool?”. You spend the next 4 hours down the rabbit hole and end up more confused than when you started.

But what if, instead, you asked “How do I keep track of all my tasks and make sure nothing slips through the cracks?”.

That question digs into your process, your habits, you capacity… The actual things that need improving.

Curiosity isn’t always the most efficient path from A to Z… But going straight into “fix it” mode limits you to solutions you already know exist.

It’s a trap I fall into more times than I care to admit.

But the wisest people I’ve met aren’t walking encyclopedias… They’re not fast talkers or the people who seem to have an answer for everything… They’re patient. Observant.

They don’t jump straight to solutions — they circle the problem, zoom out, and ask better questions.

You know this is true if you’ve ever been to therapy. Your therapist doesn’t listen for 10 minutes an hand you a checklist to follow — they ask things like: “What makes you feel that way?”, “What are you afraid will happen?”, or “What does success look like to you?”.

It’s less about answers, it’s about understanding. The answers are obvious when you ask the right questions.

And the same is true for our businesses.

When you catch yourself frantically asking “How do I fix this?”, take a breath. That’s your cue to step back and start asking better questions.

Answers move us forward, but questions have the power to decide which direction we’re going.