The key to success in many areas of life, be it entrepreneurship, innovation, relationships, business, personal… is asking the right question.

Egyptian novelist and 1988 Nobel Prize Winner, Mahfouz Naguib, put it this way, “You can tell whether a man is clever by his answers. You can tell whether a man is wise by his questions.”

In order to arrive at the right question, we have to remain open, curious, and receptive. Asking the right question helps us to focus on the right problem. If we’re feeling stuck for too long in a particularly unsatisfying situation, chances are we’re focusing on the wrong problem and asking the wrong questions.

As management guru Peter Drucker says, “The most serious mistakes are not being made as a result of wrong answers. The truly dangerous thing is asking the wrong question.”

Remain open and curious, folks.