Power Questions: Build Relationships, Win New Business, and Influence Others 1st edition by Sobel, Andrew, Panas, Jerold (2012) Hardcover Hardcover – February 7, 2012

As we were growing up and learning things in school and life, we were taught that having the correct answers was the key to success. We all spent a lot of time accumulating information which we hoped would be helpful in the future, that would provide the correct answers when we needed them.But as we grow older, we come to realize that having the answer is not nearly as important as asking the right questions.Power Questions, written by Andrew Sobel and Jerold Panas, gives (by their count) 337 questions to help you succeed in work and life. Actually there are many more than 337, since they often give alternate ways to ask a question.The important thing you will get from this book is not the 337 questions. They are good, powerful questions. But what is more important is the mindset, the approach to business and life which they hope to instill. The questions are not designed to test a person's knowledge of a subject but to force them to clarify the issue, to focus on what is important, to think about the issue at hand.This is not simply a lists of questions. There are some 35 different stories - each story is a chapter - that illustrate the principle the authors wish to get across. At the end of each story is a "Suggestions for How to Use This Question" which tells you how and when to use this type of question, some alternative ways to ask the question and some follow up questions.These stories are highly interesting, often involving famous, well known people. But more importantly they show real life examples of how powerful questions can be to accomplish a goal, gain clarity or move a process forward.This is a delightful book to read. Each chapter is 3-4 pages long and can be read independently of any other. The book can be read in any order. It is not necessary to read it in the order it was written.At the end of the 35 chapters are 293 additional questions grouped into nine different categories.The book is a quick and easy read. The value is not so much in reading the book but using the questions in your work and your life. I would suggest periodic refresher reading of the book. I would also suggest you keep the book handy and refer to it when faced with a problem. There will be some question which will help you get clear on what you or your team is trying to accomplish.This is a book you need to keep handy and refer to often. Asking the right questions will greatly improve your business and your life. Pick out a few that resonate with you and start using them today. The more you use the questions, the deeper understanding you will gain about the people and problems you are dealing with.

Power Questions by Andrew Sobel and Jerold Panas is an excellent book that highlights over 300 essential questions that can lead to deeper meaningful answers. In each short chapter, they highlight a question(s) using their real life professional experiences consulting with hundreds of management teams. They go into detail on 44 of these questions and give a list of 293 more in the back to use in different situations.Quite often I’ve been on the phone with a CEO or management team and you can sense they want to say more. A simple question the authors talk about which I’d like to use more effectively is “Can you tell me more?” Or when someone is complaining about someone and you need to refocus them on fixing the problem, “What do you wish they would do more of?”Let me give you an example of a bad question [the authors agree] to ask in a first-time meeting with management:“What Keeps You Up At Night?”Early in my investing career I used to ask this question, until one day I asked it to an executive and he replied, “Son, do you expect me to tell you the truth? I don’t even know you”.He was right. It was a stupid question to ask him, and I immediately took it out of my question set. Don’t expect a personal and real answer from a person you don’t have a personal and real relationship with. “What keeps you up at night?” is an impersonal lazy question to ask someone you barely know.The first step to asking great questions is listening more and talking less. Power questions can be very potent and influential. Add them to your life.You will enjoy Power Questions: Build Relationships, Win New Business, and Influence Others

“You’ve heard about people who talk too much. You never heard about a person who listens too much.”Power Questions is about the productive use of questions in a variety of contexts. Co-authors Andrew Sobel and Jerold Panas are experts on client loyalty and fundraising, respectively.“The need to be heard turns out to be one of the most powerful motivating forces in human nature... There is nothing more potent than these four words: What do you think?”“If you do all the talking, you learn nothing about the person… You will not build their trust… You will squander an opportunity to build the foundations for a rich, long-term relationship.Sometimes a question will make the other person stop and think. “Never, ever interrupt a productive silence!”In sales, intelligent questions are essential. But weak questions can damage credibility. “’What keeps you up at night?’ is a terrible question. First, it’s a shot in the dark… It’s also a question that requires no preparation… Second, if someone doesn’t already know you pretty well, they are probably not going to tell you what is really on their mind… The great salespeople ask indirect questions that show they know their stuff. They say things like... ‘How is your push into Asian markets going to impact your financial controls and risk management requirements?’”An effective follow-up question could be as simple as, “Really? Can you tell me more?”“A buyer is created when a clear need is identified, a trusting relationship is established, and the value is demonstrated. The most successful salespeople in the world create these conditions by asking great questions.”Questions can make meetings more productive. “Start creating a culture of decisiveness.” At the start of each meeting, ask “What is the purpose of this meeting?” or “What decisions do we want to make today?”Ask questions to resolve complaints or disputes. “When a person is upset… emotions are like facts. People want to be heard and understood. Rational argumentation will not win the day. Worse, it will inflame the tension. When there is a disagreement, your goal is to win the relationship, not the argument! During the first phase of any crisis or problem situation, you must lead with questions. By doing so you will learn essential information and—most importantly—create an ally in solving the problem.”Leaders can ask empowering questions. “If their employees come up with the answer—if they feel ownership of it—there is a good chance it will bear fruit… Answers make you feel like a leader, but questions create real followers.”“Good questions challenge your thinking. They reframe and redefine the problem. They throw cold water on our most dearly held assumptions, and force us out of our traditional thinking. They motivate us to learn and discover more.”