Image created by Google AI.
Some days call for answers.
Today calls for better questions.
The kind of questions that don’t close a conversation, but open a door.
That spark curiosity, invite reflection, and reveal unexpected insight.
When we ask better questions, we don’t just gather information — we create space for growth, connection, and new possibilities.
Instead of asking, “Did you get it done?”
What if you asked, “What did you discover along the way?”
Instead of, “Why didn’t you meet the goal?”
Try, “What support would make success easier next time?”
Better questions aren’t about judgment. They’re about expansion.
They turn conversations into collaborations.
They turn “problem-solving” into “possibility-finding.”
Today, pause before rushing into answers.
What’s one better question you could ask — of yourself, your team, or someone you love?
Because sometimes the right question is the real answer.
#Blogboost #VisionaryLeadership #ClarityInChaos #ActOnVision #LeadForward #LeadershipMindset #ActThePart #AdvantaStrategies #StrategicThinking
How to Answer “Tricky” Questions
When you stay calm, clarify with repetition, and bridge back to your core ideas, you guide the dialogue rather than chase it. The result? You come across as thoughtful, credible, and persuasive exactly the qualities clients and colleagues remember.
The Designer Pause
Remember: silence isn’t empty. It’s elegant.
Friend
“A friend is someone who knows all about you and still loves you.” ― Elbert Hubbard There are a few people in our life who know everything. We are grateful for the few. We think of our foibles and of our faults as imperfections that chase people away. In some cases,...
Courage
Courage “Happiness is not found in things you possess, but in what you have the courage to release.” Nathaniel Hawthorne What needs to be released, the piano, the sewing machine or other “stuff”. Is it courage to release your fondest possessions? Courage today is to...
STARS
"Look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Try to make sense of what you see, and wonder about what makes the universe exist. Be curious." Stephen Hawking Jerry is so curious he took a second degree in Astro Physics at 54. He loves it! There is nothing quite...
Fear
Thinking will not overcome fear but action will. W. Clement Stone Fear has been the topic of conversation today – as I’ve discussed shared spaces with potential clients. Having a private office space to use for a month, a week or a day seems to rattle some small...
Not By Bread Alone
"Life is either a grand adventure or nothing at all." Helen Keller I can’t imagine what it must have been like for her to be blind and deaf. We saw a theatre production a few years back titled, “Not by Bread Alone”. It was written and directed by Adina Tal...
The Life Force
"There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action. And because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique, and if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and be lost. It is...
Join Our Newsletter
Advanta Strategies, LLC
814-360-1950
linda@advantastrategies.com
I keep seeing “better questions” for Moms of school children, because “how was your day” obviously don’t yield satisfactory answers 😉 We all might spark more fruitful conversations with the right questions. As an HR person I should know a thing or two about getting people to talk 😉
Tamara:
Thank you – yes the More specific the question with out being pushy the better the answer. But as an HR person you know.
Great post! When picking up my grandkids from school I would ask them how school was. I’d get the same answer every day… “it was terrible”. Once I changed my question to “ what did you do in gym today”, I got a perfect answer. They told me what they did. It was a much better conversation.
While this application isn’t applicable to me, I do find that asking unique questions is a fun way to get conversation going in a direction that isn’t the norm. For instance, when meeting someone new, instead of asking, “What do you do for a living?” you could ask, “tell me about something interesting you did this week in your profession.” Their answer can keep the conversation going, because they will no doubt ask you the same question!
Angie:
I had the best result when I attened yet another “networking meeting”, I asked people what their favorite dessert was. Not only did I see gaping mouths, I was remembered the next week. More importantly I was remembered a few months later. I was asked to be on a panel at our College to choose the next recipient of the business award. In searching, I found the person’s name who I had met and he was on the selection committee. Small world if you allow it with good questions. Thank you