Synopses & Reviews
In this groundbreaking book, journalist and innovation expert Warren Berger shows that one of the most powerful forces for igniting change in business and in our daily lives is a simple, under-appreciated tool—one that has been available to us since childhood.
Questioning—deeply, imaginatively, “beautifully”—can help us identify and solve problems, come up with game-changing ideas, and pursue fresh opportunities. So why are we often reluctant to ask “Why?”
Bergers surprising findings reveal that even though children start out asking hundreds of questions a day, questioning “falls off a cliff” as kids enter school. In an education and business culture devised to reward rote answers over challenging inquiry, questioning isnt encouraged—and, in fact, is sometimes barely tolerated.
And yet, as Berger shows, the most creative, successful people tend to be expert questioners. Theyve mastered the art of inquiry, raising questions no one else is asking—and finding powerful answers. The author takes us inside red-hot businesses like Google, Netflix, IDEO, and Airbnb to show how questioning is baked into their organizational DNA. He also shares inspiring stories of artists, teachers, entrepreneurs, basement tinkerers, and social activists who changed their lives and the world around them—by starting with a “beautiful question.”
Berger explores important questions, such as:
- Why arent we nurturing kids natural ability to question—and what can parents and schools do about that?
- Since questioning is a starting point for innovation, how might companies and business leaders begin to encourage and exploit it?
- And most important, how can each of us re-ignite that questioning spark—and use inquiry as a powerful means to rethink and reinvent our lives?
A More Beautiful Question outlines a practical Why / What If / How system of inquiry that can guide you through the process of innovative questioning—helping you find imaginative, powerful answers to your own “beautiful questions.”
Review
"We know that the art of asking questions is at the heart of discovery in science, philosophy, medicine—so why dont we extend that power to all areas of our lives? The thoughtful, provocative questions Warren Berger raises in this book are indeed the kind of ‘beautiful questions that can help us identify the right problems and generate creative solutions."
-Daniel Pink, New York Times bestselling author of Drive and To Sell Is Human "In the old economy, it was all about having the answers. But in todays dynamic, lean economy, its more about asking the right questions. A More Beautiful Question is about figuring out how to ask, and answer, the questions that can lead to new opportunities and growth."
-Eric Ries, New York Times best-selling author of The Lean Startup"In this wise book, Warren Berger shows us how crucial it is to question every aspect of our lives, from business to school to our choice of toothpaste. My question: Why wouldnt you read this book?" -A.J. Jacobs, New York Times bestselling author and Esquire columnist
"The genesis of many great startups is the simple question, ‘Wouldnt it be cool if? Warren Berger helps you understand the power of questions to change the world. Real men ask questions, they dont spout out answers." -Guy Kawasaki, former chief evangelist at Apple and author of APE: Author, Publisher, Entrepreneur“Berger presents a simple three-part framework, the 'Why-What If-How' model , to guide effective inquiry.” -The New York Times Book Review"This thought-provoking book offers important insights to executives, and to those aspiring to leadership, for their business and personal use." -Booklist"A practical testament to the significance of the questioning mind." -Kirkus Reviews
Synopsis
To get the right answer--in business, in life--you have to ask the right question. Innovation expert Warren Berger shows it's both an art and a science.
Synopsis
To get the best answer in business, in life you have to ask the best possible question. Innovation expert Warren Berger shows that ability is both an art and a science.
It may be the most underappreciated tool at our disposal, one we learn to use well in infancy and then abandon as we grow older. Critical to learning, innovation, success, even to happiness yet often discouraged in our schools and workplaces it can unlock new business opportunities and reinvent industries, spark creative insights at many levels, and provide a transformative new outlook on life. It is the ability to question and to do so deeply, imaginatively, and beautifully.
In this fascinating exploration of the surprising power of questioning, innovation expert Warren Berger reveals that powerhouse businesses like Google, Nike, and Netflix, as well as hot Silicon Valley startups like Pandora and Airbnb, are fueled by the ability to ask fundamental, game-changing questions. But Berger also shares human stories of people using questioning to solve everyday problems from How can I adapt my career in a time of constant change? to How can I step back from the daily rush and figure out what really makes me happy?
By showing how to approach questioning with an open, curious mind and a willingness to work through a series of Why, What if, and How queries, Berger offers an inspiring framework of how we can all arrive at better solutions, fresh possibilities, and greater success in business and life.
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Synopsis
The Harvard Business Review looked at 300 of the most creative, successful executives in business and found that they shared a number of tendencies and characteristics, but one stood out at the top of the list—they all were master questioners.
Its not necessity, but a question—a “beautiful” question—that is the mother of invention. The worlds leading innovators, inventors, business entrepreneurs, and creative minds, seem to be exceptionally good at asking questions. For some, their greatest successes—their breakthrough inventions, hot startup companies, the radical solutions theyd found to stubborn problems—could be traced to a “beautiful” question, or series of questions, theyd formulated and then answered. Innovator and writer Warren Berger, whos been asking questions his entire life, brilliantly captures these innovative query-makers to try and determine what makes a question particularly beautiful, from Tim Westegren wondering how to “map the DNA of music,” a project that would grow into the wildly successful Pandora internet radio service, to Abby Brown, creating a school desk with a raised seat as she thought about how she could accommodate some fidgeting students.
As A More Beautiful Question will illustrate, whether were solving tough personal or professional problems, rejuvenating businesses, or schools, or government, or re-inventing the ways we live… it all begins with asking the right questions.
Synopsis
It may be the most underappreciated tool at our disposal, one we learn to use well in infancy—and then abandon as we grow older. Critical to learning, innovation, success, even to happiness—yet often discouraged in our schools and workplaces—it can unlock new business opportunities and reinvent industries, spark creative insights at many levels, and provide a transformative new outlook on life.
It is the ability to question—and to do so deeply, imaginatively, and “beautifully.”
In this fascinating exploration of the surprising power of questioning, innovation expert Warren Berger reveals that powerhouse businesses like Google, Nike, and Netflix, as well as hot Silicon Valley startups like Pandora and Airbnb, are fueled by the ability to ask fundamental, game-changing questions. But Berger also shares human stories of people using questioning to solve everyday problems—from “How can I adapt my career in a time of constant change?” to “How can I step back from the daily rush and figure out what really makes me happy?”
By showing how to approach questioning with an open, curious mind and a willingness to work through a series of “Why,” “What if” and “How” queries, Berger offers an inspiring framework of how we can all arrive at better solutions, fresh possibilities, and greater success in business and life. Find out more at http://amorebeautifulquestion.com/
About the Author
Warren Berger has studied hundreds of the worlds leading innovators, entrepreneurs, and creative thinkers to learn how they ask questions, generate original ideas, and solve problems. His writing and research on questioning and innovation has appeared in Fast Company, Harvard Business Review, and Wired. He is the author of the internationally acclaimed book Glimmer, an in-depth analysis of creative thinking that was named one of Business Week's “Best Innovation & Design Books of the Year.” Berger has appeared on NBCs "Today Show," ABC "World News," CNN, and NPRs "All Things Considered." He lives with his wife Laura E. Kelly in Westchester, New York.