Are you judging or are you learning?

Questions are a big part of the evaluation process each and every day and help you gain insight and create new opportunities.

Asking questions can determine what is going on internally and externally with yourself or others. When you ask the right questions it gives you a better idea of what is going on and provides you with some learning either about yourself or the situation.

Questions are constant and they define how you listen, think and relate to others either as individuals or teams.  Everything you do is generated by questions. People are constantly asking them of themselves or of others.  The questions you ask yourself determine the outcome you get. The questions you ask can be coming from a place of learning or judging.

When something goes wrong in your world do you react and blame, or do you stop and think about what can you learn from the situation?  Many times you can react and start judging yourselves or those around you.

The questions you may ask when things don’t go your way could be:
*    “Why am I so stupid?”
*    “Why did they do that, are they idiots?”
*    “What was I thinking?”
*    “What the heck is wrong with them?”
*    “Why bother, it won’t make a difference?”

These are reaction type questions and put blame on an individual or team. Many times you can label a person and write them off. When you make a shift and change how you look at a situation and ask different questions it can change the outcome.  When you move into a place where you learn it can prevent conflict and provide a smoother path.

Here are some questions that can take you from reacting to a place of learning:
*    “What can I learn from this situation?”
*    “What assumptions am I making?”
*    “What is going on with the other person?
*    “What are they thinking, feeling?
*    “What are the facts about the situation?”
*    “What do I want?”
*    “What are the possibilities? What choices do I have?”

These types of questions open up your mind and allow you to reflect on the situation and determine what is going on from a learning perspective. It gives you a much better picture and an opportunity to have more thoughtful choices and provide solution-oriented thinking. As a coach, I’ve always been curious about what is going on with an individual or the teams I’m working with. Being curious takes you to the learning side and encourages you to ask the questions to uncover information to help with a solution.

Choosing the right questions can lead you to success both personally and professionally. Questions that have thought behind them can lead you to greater productivity, new ideas and happier relationships. Get curious and ask questions that will help you learn and improve your world and those around you!

Looking for additional support or have questions please contact me at corey@coreymccusker.com or call me at 416-508-0018 to discuss how I can help!

Master the Mind, Master the Game 
Corey

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