I didn’t for the longest time. I made a lot of assumptions rather than asking for clarification and it bit me HARD!
Then two separate people came into my life that showed me the value of questions.
The first was a boss that moved into the role due to my previous boss' promotion. I was slightly scared of this new boss. At almost 6'4'' with the frame of a linebacker he towered over me. Not to mention his thinking face was a scowl (I only learned it was his thinking face after working with him for a time). Little did I know I would learn one of the greatest lessons in the world from him.
His first week in the office he carried around a notepad, no laptop. He seldom if ever looked at his phone. He also asked a plethora of questions. Questions that quite frankly shocked me coming from such a senior level. As I worked with him I realized he never assumes answers, instead he asked. I also realized he built up trust faster and made friends within and outside of the organization almost upon meeting people. His ability to lean on other's knowledge while understanding their role is why he is now in a C level position.
The second person I had the privilege of working with was an employee who exhausted me with questions the first 30 days she was on-boarded. Her questions ranged from deep thinking strategy to basic email etiquette.
Guess what happened day 31.
She was a fully functioning and contributing member of the team! A full 60 days ahead of anyone I’d ever trained.
Because of this employee I trained everyone different going forward. I also use her style with all of my clients as they interview and manage teams of their own.
Do you have a hard time retaining the answer to questions you ask? It’s probably because you’re not actively listening to the answer.
Here are a few tips that help me actively listen and retain information when I ask questions.
Write as the person speaks jotting key words and phrases down.
Put down your phone/close your laptop, fully listen
Focus on a point in the room and while the person is talking mentally hook the idea to that space. Sometimes I remember where I was when I heard something and this helps me retain information.