Better Questions Better Life Podcast (Formerly the Why 2 Podcast)

“Asking the right questions takes as much skill as giving the right answers” - Robert Half

If you were about to put a LOT of money and time on the line to invest in a fledgling startup, what would you want to ask?

Well, that’s what today’s guest, Whitney Sales (Twitter: @thesalesmethod) has to talk about. She is the General Partner and Executive Director of Programming, based in San Francisco, for the top B2B accelerator Acceleprise.

Whitney has 10+ years of startup sales experience and is the founder of The Sales Method, a consultancy that helps startups identify target markets, build successful sales teams and quickly get products to market.  She led four companies to the Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Companies list including LoopNet, Joby, Meltwater and SpringAhead.

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One good conversation can shift the direction of change forever. - Linda Lambert

Ever been saw someone and wish you went up to and spoke to them?

In our world of ever increasing isolation and loneliness, I wanted to revisit the lost art of how to start a conversation.

This episode keeps it nice and simple as we look at the 2 fundamental components of how to start a conversation.

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Successful people ask better questions, and as a result, they get better answers.- Tony Robbins

If you can ask one question to build a better connection with someone, what would it be?

Well, that’s what today’s guest, Chris Schembra has discovered. But not only has he uncovered a very powerful question, he’s built a whole business (7:47 Club) around it that since July 2015, 7:47 has worked with over 5,300 leaders, entrepreneurs, and individuals; advised 70+ companies, and sparked more than 300,000 relationships.’

Chris is an accomplished speaker, has his own podcast, advises business, and has been featured in The New York Times, Forbes, HuffPost, VICE Impact, Thrive Global, VarietyMagazine, Bravo TV, Newsmax TV, AMEX OPEN, and many more.

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We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.

– Aristotle

Where do we go from here?

What is the next step in our journey to learn how to ask better questions?

Well, on today’s episode, we reflect on where we’ve been so far and set out the map for where we can to go next.

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“Being different gives the world color.” - Nelsan Ellis

How does a Human Centered Designer think about and ask questions? Well, there are few in the industry better to ask than the talented Chirryl-Lee Ryan. Chi has almost 20 years of experience in visual design, research, and human centered design. She’s worked, and led teams, at some of the most innovative and forward thinking companies in the world including Fjord, Isobar, and Idean.

During part 2 of 2 of her interview, we get into more of the nitty gritty of how she goes about inspiring others to ask questions and techniques she uses to ask questions.

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“Empathy is simply listening, holding space, withholding judgment, emotionally connecting, and communicating that incredibly healing message of you’re not alone.” – Brene Brown

What is being empathetic? Is your knowledge undermining your ability to ask questions?

These, and many more questions are asked, and talked about in today’s episode as we focus on shoring up the 3 foundational mindset pillars that everything else in this podcast is built upon. So don’t miss this episode!

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Click here to check out part 1/2 of Chi Ryan’s interview here.

“We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.” - Walt Disney

How does a Human Centered Designer think about and ask questions? Well, there are few in the industry better to ask than the talented Chirryl-Lee Ryan. Chi has almost 20 years of experience in visual design, research, and human centered design. She’s worked, and led teams, at some of the most innovative and forward thinking companies in the world including Fjord, Isobar, and Idean.

During part 1 of 2 of her interview, she talks us through how she goes about asking clients questions as she tackles some very big challenges in some very big companies! She also gives us brilliant insights as to how to inspire others to ask questions as she drives change and innovation.

Chi also has her own podcast which explores many of today’s topics in greater detail and is always high on my own podcast rotation!

Make sure you follow the Better Questions Better Life on the socials and join in to the conversations using the hashtag #BQBL Make sure to check us out on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

A small group of thoughtful people could change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has. - Margaret Mead

We already know this right? But leveraging a group of diverse people to ask proper questions, can be the most powerful environment to unlock strategies, tactics, and insights which all culminate to success in whatever we are striving for.

However, all of that can quickly become unraveled by our own cognitive processes. What are those? Well, I take some time today to explore of the one major ones that occur in our gatherings. Something that we’ve all experienced before and help to provide some strategies that anyone can use to help manage this and make sure we can successfully unlock the groups potential.

Make sure you follow the Better Questions Better Life on the socials and join in to the conversations using the hashtag #BQBL

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“The quality of your life is a direct reflection of the quality of the questions you are asking yourself” - Toby Robbins

What does a high priced Human Capital Consultant, someone with over 15 years of experience working in leading companies, have to say about how to ask better questions? Well it turns out, A LOT!!

This is a rare glimpse into someone who has spent his whole career using questions to recruit, consult, and manage his own personal career to his current role of Director of Consulting in one of the big 4 global consulting firms.

Adam Walker takes us through a range of topics such as how he recruits, how he works with clients, advice he gives to people when they navigate critical moments in their lives, and some of his own personal questions he has used to climb the corporate ladder and achieve high level positions in prestigious companies.

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“ego is the enemy of what you want and of what you have: Of mastering a craft. Of real creative insight. Of working well with others. Of building loyalty and support. Of longevity. Of repeating and retaining your success. It repulses advantages and opportunities. It’s a magnet for enemies and errors. It is Scylla and Charybdis.”  ― Ryan Holiday, The Ego Is the Enemy

It’s funny sometimes how our brain can work against us and undermine our own best interest. This episode takes a different path than you’ve heard before on the podcast explores one of the most peculiar of this(at least in my opinion).

What is it you might ask, it’s exploring Self-Serving Bias (a.k.a Your ego). Specially, we talk about how your ego is stopping you from become the best version of yourself and how how it’s stopping you from asking the right questions. How your ego is cutting off the conversation flow and deflecting critical feedback, information, and learnings to help you ask the best questions you can.

Make sure you follow the Better Questions Better Life on the socials and join in to the conversations using the hashtag #BQBL

Make sure to check us out on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Resources:

Jocko Willink Book

Ryan Halliday Book

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-serving_bias