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1st November, 2021

A while ago, I blogged about genuine conversation from a leadership perspective. Recent group meetings with my team feed me constant reminders of the importance of this point.

Closed questions - those leading to yes/no answers - might shut down conversation, making it play out in sticky staccato before it can ever go anywhere interesting or productive. Question that start with ‘How…’ are more likely to yield more detail and nuance than questions that start with ‘Does…’. Open questions are the fuel for fiery, flexible, adventurous, and unpredictable conversation. This is the place where real audible learning takes place.

From an entrepreneurial perspective, books like The Mom Test remind us that there is a subtle but invaluable difference between asking someone what they do now and asking someone what they might like to do in the future. There is a deeper truth in listening to someone chronical there jobs, pains, and gains of the present, than leading that same someone towards future telling. Figuring out if your solution can solve their problem starts with you never mentioning that you have a solution to speak of. No leading, just listening.

How might you listen more to learn more?

If you have a question for Marc, upload an audio recording for it to be featured on a later Q&A episode!