How comfortable are you asking questions you don’t know the answers to?

Our reader poll today asks: How comfortable are you asking questions you don’t know the answers to?

– Very — I have no problem asking questions about any topic: 84.4%
– Somewhat — I don’t do it very often: 13.42%
– Not very — I tend to only ask questions I know the answer to: 1.34%
– Not at all — I avoid asking questions as much as possible: .84%

Questions lead to insight. Early in our careers, we’re trained to always have the answer. As we assume larger leadership roles, it is imperative that we lead the thinking rather than leading the work. Doing so effectively requires you to ask the questions you don’t know the answers to. In so doing, you can take the team beyond their current understanding of the world and lead them to explore new ideas, new opportunities, and new risks.

Do you agree with these poll results? Let us know in the comments below!

– Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC

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These results were originally a SmartPulse poll in SmartBrief on Leadership which tracks feedback from more than 190,000 business leaders. Get smarter on leadership and sign up for the SmartBrief on Leadership e-newsletter.