Asking Too Much?

Just as an accurate road map can lead you to your destination, agood question can lead you to the optimal answer. People tend tofocus on answers and not spend time crafting important questions,but a good question is a powerful tool. It can lead you to thedeepest truth possible. It may lead you directly to an answer, oryou may have to roll it over in your mind for a while. You may haveto walk with it.

When beginning the creative process, the right question allowsyou to zero in on the core issue so you avoid solving a symptom ora tangential problem. A good technique for getting to the deepestreality is called the "Seven Whys." Once you'vedetermined what problem you want to solve, ask why you want tosolve that problem. If your answer is because you want to make moreprofits, ask why you want to have more profits, and so on. Afterasking "Why?" seven times, you may end up changing yourgoal or strategy. Then focus on finding the creative solution tothat core challenge.