Quote-A-Day: Day 87

An #answer is simply a #question waiting to be asked. #QuoteADay #Day87 #edchat #edu #AskMoreQuestions

An answer is never final, nor should it be.  We often look at responses to questions as being "it."  But, in reality, an answer is simply another question just waiting to be asked.

This idea is an important one, as it encapsulates the value of keeping to a continuous improvement model of learning and leading.  When we ask a question and receive an answer, that isn't an invitation to stop learning.  Rather it is an invitation to take learning further, so that we might investigate deeper and more fully than we would have originally.  And through that, the hope is we keep getting better.

What we can't do is assume that we're done when we arrive at an answer.  If we asked a question that appears to have "one right answer," we have to keep asking follow-up questions; we can't simply stop.

Learning and leading are endeavors that require us to always be "minds-on."  An answer often portends an option to turn our mind off.  That can't be allowed as one of the key requirements for learning and leading is to always be thinking.

So, the next time you receive an answer to something, take it as an opportunity to generate a question that will take your learning even further.