Ask a Stupid Question Day
Now I know for sure that there is a day for everything! Who knew there’s a Ask a Stupid Question Day? September 28 is that day, created by teachers in the 1980’s to get kids to ask more questions in school. It started in the United States, but is now celebrated in other countries including India and Britain.
As a student, I thought that it was better not to ask questions for fear of sounding stupid—and I hate the word stupid. Now I know that was not a good learning strategy!
These days, I love asking questions, and I really love answering them. It’s one of the reasons Cornelia Gamlem and I co-authored The Manager’s Answer Book – because managers have lots of questions.
When we were working on this book and collecting questions to answer, we never considered a question too stupid to include in our book. If something is on your mind or if there is something you don’t understand, odds are many other people have the same question and they may be like me in school—not brave enough to ask it.
Here are some of the questions we ask in The Manager’s Answer Book:
How should I go about planning for my people needs for next year and beyond?
What are the key elements in project management I should know to lead a task force?
How can I make meetings more efficient and productive?
What’s the difference between coaching and counseling?
What can I do as a manager to help with diversity and inclusion strategy?
How can I improve my listening skills?
As part of a management team, how do I work collaboratively with my peers?
What can I do to lighten the mood without crossing any lines when things are stressful?
So, ask as many questions you want. Don’t worry about what other people think and don’t wait to ask them. We’d love to answer more of your questions anytime you’d like to ask. In fact, send us your questions. Who knows, they may end up in another book we write.
The Manager’s Answer Book, along with our other books, is available on Amazon (https://tinyurl.com/y8umaqpz), at Barnes & Noble, or you can order it through your local bookstore. With boss’ day coming up in October, consider getting a copy for a new manager in your network.