What you don’t know can hinder your potential and growth. Unfortunately, it creates a paradox, because you don’t know what you don’t know. The quickest way to learn new information is to tap into the ideas and insights of the people around you, but people often don’t ask enough questions, says Jeff Wetzler, author of Ask: Tap into the Hidden Wisdom of People Around You for Unexpected Breakthroughs in Leadership and Life.
“The biggest reason is because we don’t realize the question that needs to be asked in the first place,” he says. “We size up situations so quickly and jump to conclusions. We feel that those conclusions are reality, and it doesn’t occur to us there is something we don’t know. If you feel certain about something, it’s logical that you wouldn’t ask questions.”
Another reason people hold back from asking a question is that they overestimate how the other person is going to feel about being asked, says Wetzler. “We think the other person is not going to want to be put on the spot, but research shows that people actually appreciate being asked questions to express who they are and what they’re going through.” Continue here....
-- Stephanie Vozza