Date: 8/31/2017

Title: USING POWER QUESTIONS FOR SUCCESS

By Jennifer Erickson

Most of us want to build relationships, gain new business, influence others, and be successful in our chosen field (and personal life). Most approach this by learning facts and data which they can spew out in a meeting with potential clients. They think it shows they “did their homework about the company”. Others take the approach of “wining and dining” someone (personal or professional). And, some others gush over how wonderful a person is and how honored they are to be in his/her presence.

Let’s think about this differently. Power questions can help you connect more quickly than you could have imagined. When a connection is made, relationships deepen and business partnerships are forged. In their book Power Questions, authors Andrew Sobel and Jerold Panas explore this idea that asking thought-provoking questions can get you much further with a person than “dinner and a movie”!! When we ask the right questions, questions that are deep and gently challenge the person to think differently, we change the conversation. Maybe we even change a life!

When a person thinks differently, they step out of a paradigm that may have been hindering them. They reframe the problem. Sometimes, this leads to an immediate solution. Other times, we sit with the new definition for a while before we find the solution. But, the reframing guides our search in the right direction. As Sobel and Panas say, “Good questions are often far more powerful than answers.”

To learn more about how to practice this understanding, contact Results Group, LLC at www.ResultsGroupLLC.com or 515-330-2866.