What was the inspiration for the Polaroid instant camera? It came from a question asked in the mid-1940’s by the 3-year-old daughter of its inventor, Edwin H. Land. The story goes as follows.
“She was impatient to see a photo her father had just snapped, and when he tried to explain that the film had to be processed first, she wondered aloud, ‘Why do we have to wait for the picture?'” (“The Power of ‘Why?’ and ‘What if?’”, Sunday New York Times, July 3, 2016)
Asking questions is a forgotten skill, but is probably one of the most critical in being innovative and creative.
As Steve Quatrano, a member of the Right Question Institute, a nonprofit research group, explains
“the act of formulating questions enables us to
organize our thinking around what we don’t know.”
But we don’t like to not know. We see it as a sign of weakness to be uninformed, to not have answers, especially for leaders.
A mindful leader recognizes the value of asking questions and encouraging others to ask questions. When a leader asks questions it draws others into the discussion; it creates opportunities for growth and learning. One mindful practice is to stop and consider asking a question even if you know the answer.
A mindful leader also gives oneself permission not to know. I appreciate this quote by Julio Olalla, a former Chilean government lawyer and President of The Newfield Network, a boutique consulting company and coaching school in the United States and Latin America:
“If you want to learn, be willing not to know.”
This is so difficult for leaders because we expect them to know and to be right. But the reality is leaders don’t always know the answers, the direction, the vision, or the plan. A mindful leader is willing to lean into one’s discomfort by making peace with not knowing.
I invite you, as a developing mindful leader, to ask questions and give yourself permission not to know.