398 - CEOs Must Ask Better Questions to Innovate
The best CEOs don’t just lead; they ask the right questions. Innovation starts by going deeper, challenging assumptions, and uncovering the real barriers to progress. Discover why better questions lead to better business decisions in today’s episode of The Daily Hint.
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CEOs Must Ask Better Questions to Innovate
Great CEOs don’t just run companies; they challenge the status quo. The ability to ask the right questions—again and again—is what separates leaders who drive real change from those who simply manage operations.
Why Better Questions Lead to Better Innovation
Many CEOs rely on their R&D teams to handle innovation. While delegation is crucial, true leadership requires direct involvement. Asking deeper, more insightful questions helps uncover the real obstacles preventing progress. Instead of stopping at surface-level issues, great leaders dig deeper to understand the root cause of challenges.
Steve Jobs was a master of this. Instead of waiting for engineers to fix a problem, he worked directly with them—questioning, challenging, and refining ideas until they reached a breakthrough. This hands-on approach allowed him to elevate problems to a company-wide level and turn obstacles into innovation.
How to Ask Better Questions as a CEO
1. Go Beyond the Obvious – Instead of asking “Why isn’t this working?” ask “What’s the underlying reason for this challenge?”
2. Engage with Your Team – Talk directly to the individuals working on the problem, not just department heads.
3. Challenge Assumptions – What if the biggest obstacle isn’t what you think it is? Keep digging deeper.
Innovation isn’t just about new ideas—it’s about asking the right questions to uncover game-changing solutions. Are you leading with curiosity, or are you outsourcing the most important part of problem-solving?
Listen to today’s The Daily Hint and start asking the questions that drive real innovation.
Highlights:
00:00 The Power of Asking Better Questions
00:19 The CEO's Role in Problem-Solving
00:35 Collaborative Problem-Solving: Lessons from Steve Jobs
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Transcript:
The most simple thing for every one of us is asking better questions. Going deeper, trying to understand why is something not working? Why is something not feeling right?
And going deeper and deeper and deeper, and then understanding what the root cause of a problem is. And that's the role of a CEO. A lot of CEOs are handing this over to the R& D department. But I think every CEO has to play a role in this by asking deeper questions.
To find out What are the things that are holding us back? Go to the individual in the company that is working with their topics. Like steve jobs. He went to the engineer and looked Together with the engineer to find out what's the problem and how do we solve this so that he can lift it up back To the company organization and make things happen.