3 Things To Do BEFORE Asking a Question

Career wisdom is hard-earned, on the job. The (very) simple wisdom below was earned halfway through my career. And when it's relevant, I pass it on to others.

My boss was out of the office on business when an issue came up on an important project. I left her a voice mail noting there was an issue we needed to discuss. Instead of describing the issue, asking questions and getting help, I created a bigger issue. Without leaving specifics and asking questions, I wasn't asking her to help, I was asking her to worry. The issue escalated (unnecessarily) as a result.

So here are three things you should do BEFORE asking a question — to most anyone in a work scenario.

1) Get the Facts: Your first instinct when a question comes to mind may, naturally, be to call your workplace equivalent of 411 — or even 911 if it’s a serious issue. But instead, take a deep breath and make sure you’ve thoroughly digested whatever alerted you to the issue at hand. Make sure you understand everything. This helps you frame, and sometimes even answer, your question

2) Google It: Told you this was (very) simple wisdom. But some of us think aloud — even asking questions as they come to mind. And the answer may be just a few keystrokes away...in a previously sent email, on a company intranet or on a search engine. If this due diligence doesn't yield an answer, it shows me that you’re not helpless (or lazy) and you first tried to answer the question yourself.

3) Go With Your Gut: Your gut instinct can lead you to the right answer — whether it’s right or wrong. If you come to me with even a wrong answer to your question, it’s easier for me to help you. It gives me something to react to and I’m benefitting from your due diligence up to this point. Your answer can be 100% wrong, but it shows me you’re not throwing the problem over the wall. You merely want my help validating the solution.

ALWAYS Ask
To be clear, I’m NOT suggestion you stop asking questions. In fact, if following the above tips will only make the issue worse, skip them. Use your workplace 911 right away.

And remember, someone will eventually be asking you a question. So feel free to share this hard-earned career advice with others.

By approaching many questions we have in the workplace differently, we make the process beneficial to everyone involved.

Dave Hancock

STEEL, INDUSTRIAL, CONSULTING, WRITING, POLITICAL, & Others...

9y

AND REMEMBER: Just because you may be the Boss; Doesn't mean you know the answer, only that you can find it out. The best Boss is the one who can bring out the 'song and dance' person in all of us.

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Henry Alan Dahut

Attorney. Author. Educator. Brand Strategist.

9y

All of this assumes of course that one is able to stop the internal running chatter in one's head and be present enough to really listen - which has two key components: the first, focus only on what is being said, not how you are going to reply to what is being said, and second, listen from your heart. Tough to define the second aspect, but you know it when you feel it. When both aspects of listening are in sync - the one being listened to will know it and appreciate you for it.

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Albert Maruggi

Class A driver Dry Van and Refer

9y

Another gem of wisdom from a thoughtful leader

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Liam Quinn

Director | Non-Executive Advisor | Technology Consultant | Forward Thinking Leadership, Strategy & Technology Innovation.

9y

Great advice. Looking for the answer first is a must. Even if you can't find it, at least you can tell your boss (or whoever it may be) what you've already tried so they don't have to do the same.

Marek Makosiej

CEO & Founder at ATL | AI Data | Translation | Localization | Language AI

9y

The first thing I thought about when I saw this headline was "Google that first!"...

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