Have you ever heard the line…“The only dumb question is the one you do not ask”? Who are you trying to fool?...”Ask the Question”. What is the worst thing you can hear?…no…nothing?
I used to be afraid to ask questions for fear that the question would upset the other person. I was one of those people who say, “Would you mind if I asked you?” or “Would it embarrass you to tell me?” I don’t do that anymore. I am very direct. I ask them specific questions. If they don’t want to tell you, they won’t. Even if they don’t answer the question, you’ll still be gathering information.
Sam Donaldson, known to be one to stand on a chair on occasion to be recognized, asked General Schwarzkopf this question before he sent our troops into Kuwait. “General, when are you going to start the land war?” Did he really think that the general was going to say, “Sam, I promised the president that I wouldn’t tell any of the 500 reporters that keep asking me that question, but since you asked and I like you I’ll tell you that at 2:00 a.m. on Tuesday we’re going in”? Of course, Schwarzkopf wasn’t going to answer that question, but a good reporter would ask it anyway. It might put pressure on the other person or annoy him so that he blurts out something he didn’t intend to. Just judging the other person’s reaction to the question might tell you a great deal.
If you want to learn about another person, be direct. In my own experience—now that I’m no longer afraid to ask—I’ve met only a few people who were seriously averse to answering even the most personal questions. For example, how many people get offended when you ask them, “Why were you in hospital?” Not very many.
It’s a strange fact of human nature that we’re very willing to talk about ourselves, yet we’re reticent when it comes to asking others about themselves. We fear the nasty look and the rebuff to a personal question. We refrain from asking because we expect the response, “That’s none of your business.” Yet how often do we respond that way to others?
When you get over your inhibitions about asking questions, the number of people willing to help you will just might surprise you. I have found that asking experts for assistance is a very simple thing to do. Often they feel honored by the request. It seems that all too often individuals are too intimidated to ask questions…thus they either fall short of their own abilities or they fail completely. It is amazing to me that experts are very rarely asked to share their expertise. Most people find experts intimidating, so the deep knowledge that they have to offer is never fully used. What a senseless waste of a valuable resource—all because of an irrational fear.
Isn’t it about time to “Ask the Question”?…Empower your life…Stop at nothing. If you “Push Through“, you will win and become Empowered.
