Ask Dumb Questions

04/16/2013

Listening is where love begins: listening to ourselves and then to our neighbors.
Fred Rogers

"If you need to feel smart, you won't think of dumb questions. If you need to look smart, you won't ask dumb questions." These are the observations of Jake Breeden in Tipping Sacred Cows: Kick the Bad Work Habits that Masquerade as Virtues (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2013).

"Both of those needs can get in the way of actually doing something smart. Expertise can be a curse. It's the sort of reward we work hard to achieve, and once we've achieved it we must protect it....

"If you need to attack the unhealthy desire to seem smart, hit it head on. Lead your team in a dumb-question lunch, where everybody asks the dumbest questions possible, with no eye-rolling allowed. As a leader, you have the responsibility to create a safe place to experiment. That might mean clearing someone's calendar and it might mean clearing someone's conscience. Guilt can prevent playful exploration of new ideas and a sense of obligation can halt playful progress."

Children Learning with Nature Conference - May 29-June 1, 2013

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