While there may be no such thing as a stupid question, distinguishing the right questions to ask (and the wrong ones to avoid asking) will undoubtedly help you get ahead in your career.
Earlier this year a report from Goldman Sachs sent chills down the spine of white-collar workers when it announced that AI could replace upwards of 300 million jobs.
What does this fact have to do with asking questions? Everything, because honing your question-asking skills is essential if you want to be able professionally collaborate with AI in the future.
The art of the prompt
Research shows that those who ask the right questions will be the ones who not only manage to unlock AI’s capabilities but also harness those capabilities to achieve next level work.
Asking questions that will benefit your career involves stepping outside your comfort zone, being vulnerable and accepting that it’s ok to be wrong.
You can also adapt your questioning style and start asking catalytic questions – for example, asking “what if?” versus “why?”– as they require innovative thinking, the exact thinking that’s needed to collaborate with AI.
If you’re struggling to think beyond the basic questions, try the Five Why approach, which involves asking “why?” five times in a row, and ensuring that each time, the conversation goes deeper to the root of the issue.
Challenges
The main source of contention when it comes to the Five Why approach or approaching your colleagues with catalytic questions is that not all workplace cultures encourage such thinking.
Research conducted by the University of North Colorado Social Research Lab pinpointed five reasons that may be behind an employee’s reluctance to embrace a questioning approach.
These include a belief that senior leaders don’t want to hear new ideas because they are heavily indoctrinated in a “we’ve always done it this way” mentality, not asking a colleague’s opinion and lacking confidence in asking questions–40% of those questioned stated that they lack the confidence required to speak up and question the status quo.
Additionally, a lack of emotional intelligence can make it difficult to decipher when it’s appropriate to ask a question while a lack of optimism that your suggestion will be taken on board and heard can also render workers mute in meetings.
If your current employer doesn’t encourage questions or blue sky thinking, and 49% of them don’t, then it might be time to future proof your career by looking for employment elsewhere.
The London Economic Job Board is full of opportunities with leading global companies who are renowned for innovation.
Network Engineer, Medpace, London
Medpace, a full-service clinical contract research organisation, is scaling upwards and is looking for an experienced Network Engineer to join its ranks with a view to supporting local and remote office WAN and LAN environments. Hybrid working is available after six months and the ideal candidate will have an aptitude to learn new technology and have a “do what it takes” attitude. Find more information here.
DevOps Specialist, Leonardo, Basildon
Leonard is a global high-tech company and one of the key players in aerospace, defence and security. If you’re hired as a DevOps Specialist you will be expected to fully exploit the capabilities of the company’s software development teams. You will spend your days practically focusing on how complex systems are put together, made to work and optimised, and you will be the key driver in the integration of solutions. See the full job description here..
Building Information Officer, National Physical Laboratory, Teddington
Whether you’re talking about length, mass, time, temperature, electric current, amount or the brightness of light, the National Physical Laboratory sets the standards by which these things are all measured. As Building Information Officer, you’ll be responsible for the development and management of all information systems underpinning management of the Teddington and Wraysbury estate and for associated budgets. This role involves managing existing software platforms, ensuring a robust and auditable process is maintained and updated where necessary for data entry/update. Access additional details here.
Browse The London Economic Job Board to find your dream role today