Change Your Questions, Change Your Life: 12 Powerful Tools for Leadership, Coaching, and Life Paperback – January 11, 2016

Voltaire once said, "Judge a man by his questions rather than his answers." I suspect that we all underestimate the importance of asking the right questions at the right time. Change Your Questions Change Your Life will give you a new and much better perspective on asking questions.The book starts with a story about Ben, the answer man. He has just been hired into a management position largely on his previous history of having all the right answers. But his tendency to try and have all the answers actually works against him in his new leadership position. Fortunately his boss has the knowledge and experience to recognize that he needs to learn new skills and sets him up with a coach who teaches him to change his questions.The story is very interesting and easy to read. It really bring home the point that we ask internal and external questions and the quality of those questions in large part determines the quality of our lives. When you ask the wrong questions, you will get the wrong answers. Ben was exceptionally skilled at asking the wrong questions. But fortunately with the help of his coach he quickly learns to ask better questions.In the book Marilee Adams, the author, says we generally live in one of two modes - judger or learner. In the judger mode, we are judgmental - judging ourselves or others, asking what's wrong, who's to blame, how can I prove I'm right. In the learner mode we are curious asking questions - what do I want, what works, what are my choices? She says we are all recovering judgers.After Ben's story, the book gives us a section Ten Tools of Question Thinking. Here is a very powerful and easy to apply series of question tools for learning to ask better questions. One of my favorite tools is the switching questions. When we realize that we are in judger mode, asking switching questions can immediately switch from judger mode to learner mode.There is a handy and very helpful illustrated Choice Map in the book which shows the Learner Path and the Judger Path. It also shows that even when we start down the Judger Path, we can always take the switch path to get back to the Learner Path. There is also a link to download a copy of the Choice Map.This is a very well written book. The concepts are extremely easy to understand. You can immediately grasp the concepts. The questions are actionable - you can put them to use immediately.This book truly has the power to change your life. You must be open to learning the concepts. You must be willing to give up your judger mindset.This is also an excellent coaching tool. You will be able to immediately add and implement these questions and concepts to your coaching toolkit.

Excellent way to deal with these negative times. Bought two more copies for friends,

I love how the author of this book uses story telling to teach about mindsets and their affect on everything we do in our lives. The story is about Ben, who has just been promoted to a new job where he’s the head of a team. He is also recently married. As the story begins, we see how his present mindset is limiting his ability to advance in this new position and is also affecting his relationship with his wife Grace. Things are bad enough at work that he is thinking about resigning, and is very worried what Grace will think, if he does. Everything changes for him when his boss introduces him to Joseph, an executive coach. Throughout the story, both Ben and reader learn to apply Joseph’s Question Thinking tools. These tools and principals allow us to ask ourselves new kinds of questions to switch from Judger mindsets, which limit our thinking, to Learner mindsets that open our minds to new possibilities and more cooperative ways of working together. The book isn’t limited to work situations but shows how it applies with families and friends. What i really like about the book is that it has plenty of practical guidelines and tips, including the Choice Map which brings everything together in one crystal clear image that makes the ideas of the book easy to remember and apply in everyday life. This is a very timely book at a period when it is so important to develop peaceful ways to relate to each other and our planet.

"Change Your Questions Change Your Life' provides tools to help you shift from a disempowering state of judgment where you may be playing the blame game that doesn't solve anything to an open, learning state in which you open yourself to consider choices and possibilities that will get you the results you're after.The author shares the Top 12 Questions to help you to switch from the judgmental state to a state from which you are better equipped to engage in constructive action. The question are:What do I want?What are my choices?What assumptions am I making?What am I responsible for?how else can I think about this?What is the other person thinking, feeling, and wanting?What am I missing or avoiding?What can I learn?... from this person or situation?... from this mistake or failure?... from this success?What action steps make the most sense?What questions should I ask (myself or others)?How can I turn this into a win-win?What's possible?Of course, there are many more questions you can ask yourself and others, and several other questions are addressed in this book.This is a small book and you can read it probably in a few hours. The questions in this book are not exhaustive and you can find other books that go into much greater depth into the art of asking questions. However, exactly because this book is simple, short and easy-to-read, it may be a great place to start and make amazing changes by learning how to shift your state of mind from being fixated on the problem and feeling helpless, to opening the way and transforming any situation, simply by training yourself to ask yourself different questions.Instead of being stuck in an unpleasant situation, you can ask yourself what can you learn from it and what can you do to turn it around. As a friend of mine used to say "There are no problems, there are only opportunities (for growth)."

One amazing story that not only explains the importance of understanding our mindsets, it also gives great tools to make the journey easier.. amazing!

Ci sono degli spunti sul.potete trasfornativo delle domande ma ho trovato il libro pesante e ripetitivo Il tutto poteva essere racchiuso in meno pagine. Secondo me povero per un professionista adatto a chi non è del settore

Great packaging. Among the best I have seen in the books bought on Amazon.

Great book. Helps to ask powerful questions

The title of this book is not overstated. Learning to ask genuine questions is one of the most positive things a leader can do to change their relationship with the world around them.Marilee Adams‘ book is about how our mindset is determined by the questions we ask. It explains why some questions create breakthroughs and inspire change and innovation whereas others lead to stagnation and demoralization. According to Adams the difference lies in whether you ask “Learner Questions” or “Judger Questions”.“Learner Questions” are creative, open-minded, and curious questions which promote progress and possibilities. They typically lead to discoveries, understanding, and solutions. They facilitate progress by expanding options.“Judger Questions” are more closed-minded and critical. They focus on problems rather than solutions and often lead to negativity and defensive reactions. They impede progress by limiting perspectives.I recommend this book to people in leadership roles as the ideas discussed are very relevant and applicable if you want to guide or coach others. The tools Adams provides include helpful charts, including her “Choice Map”, and a “12 Powerful Tools” chapter at the end that summarizes the main takeaways from the book.