How Can You Drive Performance With Absurd Questions?

In one of my previous newsletters, I shared a concept that I particularly enjoy: absurd questions.

In the realm of decision-making and performance, optimisations and processes are often perceived as kings. They can offer good answers and incremental returns but will rarely lead to a breakthrough.

Absurd questions are one of the most interesting tools to foster radical innovation.

These questions help us think differently. They help us to think outside the box. They ask us to make abstractions of reality or, more specifically, our perceived reality.

They can sometimes feel useless because, as intriguing as it might sound, wondering which animal species would be the rudest if it could talk is unlikely to make our team’s performance leap and reach new heights.

They can also be risky as they push us out of our comfort zone and ask us to deviate from the norms and the expected.

But this is precisely because they can push us in new directions that absurd questions have tremendous potential. As we force ourselves to part way with our perceived reality, we have to question it. And this can help us uncover blind spots, clarify misconceptions and dissolve limiting beliefs.