Thinker in Residence: Warren Berger on Business & Books

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"On the big questions of finding meaning, fulfillment, and happiness, we're deluged with answers--in the form of off-the-shelf advice, tips, strategies from experts and gurus. It shouldn't be any wonder if those generic solutions don't quite fit: To get to our answers, we must formulate and work through the questions ourselves."

~Warren Berger

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Q&A on Business & Books with Warren Berger, author of A More Beautiful Question

What is the one unanswered question about business you are most interested in answering? WB: How might we encourage more questioning in business—both by business leaders and by those working for them—in a manner that leads to innovation and growth? WB: What business book has influenced your work the most? With regard to influencing A More Beautiful Question, I think I'd have to point to Charles Duhigg's The Power of Habit. I think there is an interesting parallel between changing habits and asking questions. I like the way Duhigg analyzed the science of habit formation, provided interesting stories and case studies, and also offered very practical tips that the readers could use. I tried to do much the same with questioning. What is the business book you wish you had written and why? I wish I'd written Give and Take, by Adam Grant. Not just because it is a fascinating, well-researched, and well-written book, but more because it has an extremely positive, uplifting message for business. And based on my conversations with people, I think it is having an impact, for the better, on attitudes and behavior. What business book are you reading right now? I'm going back and forth between two books: Scaling Up Excellence, by Bob Sutton, and To Sell is Human, by Daniel Pink. Both great books, which is to be expected from those two authors.

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Warren Berger believes questions are more important than answers. He is the creator of the website amorebeautifulquestion.com and author of the new book A More Beautiful Question (Bloomsbury)—both focusing on the power of inquiry to spark breakthrough ideas. Learn more about Warren Berger and read a review of A More Beautiful Question in our first of three Thinker in Residence posts. Read our Q&A conversation with Warren Berger to gain insight about his new book, A More Beautiful Question, which argues that "one of the most powerful forces for igniting change in business and our daily lives is a simple, under-appreciated tool—one that has been available to us since childhood. Questioning can help us identify and solve problems, come up with innovative ideas, and pursue fresh opportunities."