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Monday March 27, 2006

Asking the right questions

Just finished a call with a prospective client, and it got me thinking about the questions we ask. The CEO was asking great questions about us, and how we work with clients.

Finding good people or good talent (aka consultants) is a challenge. Finding people who contribute early and often is even tougher. I wonder if we rely too much on “what do you know” knowledge and not enough on skill, attitude, and approach. Today’s knowledge base is going to change by tomorrow. It’s important that people we engage know how to learn…in other words, how to duplicate success. If it were up to me, I would be asking questions about the results people have achieved, and what could they reproduce.

A question for the week:
When evaluating someone for a job or a gig, is your organizations’ focus on what the person “knows” or on what the person “knows how to do”. What questions will you ask from now on, to learn what you need to know?

Categories: Learning