I’m reading a book that inspires me to ask more questions. I like questions anyway, but in “Rock your Idea. To change the world with ideas” by Martin Gaedt, one is downright encouraged to ask excessive questions. “Questions bring ideas and change,” it says, and “questioning habits brings new things to the world.” I especially like the statement, “Everything works differently.” Because hey, why not?
The author suggests asking questions at every traffic light, in every traffic jam, in every waiting room, at every imaginable opportunity: 44 in one go. Anyone who does this regularly (practicing questioning, so to speak) increases his question fitness and comes up with completely new ideas. Even a “throw-away question” can make the difference. The chapter ends with a clear request: “Asking good questions is trainable. So, get to practicing!”

I felt directly challenged and tried to go with my gut to ask 44 questions about the world of work, the issue closest to my heart.

It took me only 10 minutes (including writing down), so my training is just getting started. But practice is known to do the trick. Maybe you want to join in?

44 questions about the world of work:

01. Should life fit with work – or work with life?

02. Who says a job fits best in a 40-hour week?

03. Can a 40-hour week, spread over 5 days of the week, be flexible at all?

04. Why do we still work like we did in the Industrial Age?

05. What do we do with all our knowledge about “good work” and productivity?

06. Does “work–life balance” mean that the work is not part of life?

07. When working time is the same as lifetime, what does that mean for our career choice?

08. What does success mean?

09. How do you measure performance?

10. Is “new work” only for “knowledge workers”?

11. When does the “future of work” begin?

12. When is work “good work”?

13. And can that even be generalized?

14. What are we working for?

15. How can we all benefit from New Work?

16. How do we create a cultural change without a “change process”?

17. Does our economy exist as an end in itself – or for the benefit of humankind?

18. How much do we want to earn?

19. How much do we have to earn?

20. What do we do with the earned money?

21. What is more important, money or time?

22. If you could choose, how many hours a week would you work?

23. When was a work day a good day?

24. What motivates you?

25. What annoys you?

26. What stresses you?

27. How many people can you think of off the top of your head who are really happy in their jobs?

28. What makes people happy in their jobs?

29. If we were reached greater social achievement with less work, what would we do with the time we gained?

30. What would you like to say about your career path at the end of your life?

31. Do we still need “bosses” today and in the future?

32. If so, what does a good boss look like?

33. Is “New Work” just a bubble?

34. During small talk, how do you answer the question, “And what are you up to?”

35. What did you want to become as a child?

36. Do you feel like doing something totally different?

37. When professional and private are blurred, is that good or bad?

38. Is the digital transformation good or bad?

39. When everything gets more and more flexible – where do we stop?

40. Can we really say today what the world of work will look like in 5 years?

41. If not, how can we prepare young people for it?

42. When did you last question your job?

43. When did you last rave about your job?

44. Do we ask too many questions about our professional life?

Let’s go, join in! Let’s ask more questions – and say fewer “buts”! ?