The Questions We Ask

Early in my career, I thought being good at my job meant having the answers.

Fresh out of college, I went to work for my father, who already had twenty-five years of construction experience behind him.

I arrived with an education, plenty of enthusiasm, and the confidence of a young man who thought he knew just about everything.

My father knew better.

He put me to work in the field, where I began learning the business from the ground up. Eventually, I became a superintendent, then a project manager, and when he felt I was ready, his partner in real estate development.

Along the way, I discovered something they hadn't taught me in college.

The questions we ask shape the answers we find.

That lesson has stayed with me through more than forty years in real estate development, construction, and project management.

• • •

Every project begins with questions. What can we build? What will it cost? How long will it take? Will the numbers work?

They're important questions. We need the answers.

But experience has taught me to look a little deeper.

What are we really trying to accomplish?

What are we assuming that we haven't examined?

What might be possible if we approached this differently?

Those questions do more than help us solve problems. They change how we see them.

They encourage us to look beyond the obvious, challenge our assumptions, and consider possibilities we might otherwise overlook.

And perhaps most importantly, they invite other people into the conversation.

I've learned that leadership isn't about being the smartest person in the room. It's about creating an environment where people feel comfortable contributing what they know, sharing what they see, and asking questions of their own.

Because the best ideas rarely belong to just one person.

• • •

Looking back, I appreciate what my father was teaching me during those early years.

He gave me opportunities to learn, make decisions, and grow into responsibilities I wasn't yet prepared to carry on my own.

Forty years ago, I wanted to be the person who had the answers.

Today, I want to be the person who asks the question that helps us discover something better.

What might become possible if we started asking ourselves better questions?

Written by:

Larry Greene

Founder | CEO

Gen3 Development