In the pursuit of innovation, we often focus on finding better answers. But what if the key isn’t better answers, but better questions?

Better questions = better answers.

And by extension: Bigger, thought-provoking questions = bigger, thought-provoking innovations.

Innovators know this all too well.

Here’s a short story before I get into the power of questions:

2008 I was hired to consult for The Jumpitz, a kids’ entertainment group. This was just after the iPhone was released and a few months after the App Store went live. At that point, The Jumpitz followed a plain vanilla marketing strategy (heavy in PR). The company competed for attention in a market with Nickelodeon, PBS Kids, and Disney. The operation was heavy in production costs, so every dollar counted.

I first noticed a plain vanilla strategy with a message that any other brand could say.

I asked the CEO, “Who do you want your fans to become?”

She responded, and I remember it like yesterday: “We want kids to become curious about the world, learn, and be creative.”

I responded. “Ok, and how exactly are you enabling them to achieve that?”

Blank stare.

Soon after, we refocused our strategy on “enabling preschoolers to be curious, learn, and be creative.”

The word “enabling” unlocked everything thereafter. Web 2.0 was starting to be more dynamic and engaging, and I wanted to leverage it. It wasn’t just about songs and live concerts but about having them engage deeper with the group. For example, we crowdsourced a song from fans, which led to positive word of mouth and deeper engagement with the group.

We did things that caught the industry’s attention, and soon after, we were invited to perform at Legoland and other places. These moves drove the business forward in a time when the market crash of 2008 had people paralyzed.

It all started with a better, bigger question: Who do you want your fans to become?

The Power of Reframing

The questions we ask define the boundaries of possible solutions. When we limit ourselves to incremental questions, we get incremental results. Consider these transformations:

Instead of asking…	Try asking…
“How can we improve our product?”	“What would make our product obsolete?”
“How can we reduce costs?”	“What if cost wasn’t a constraint at all?”
“How can we solve this problem?”	“Why does this problem exist in the first place?”
“How can we be more efficient?”	“What if we completely reimagined this process?”
“How can we compete better?”	“How might we change the rules of the game?”

Why Bigger Questions Matter

Bigger questions break us out of our mental models and assumptions. They force us to:

1. Challenge the status quo – They prevent us from accepting “that’s just how things are done.”
2. Expand our thinking horizon – They push us beyond short-term fixes to long-term transformations.
3. Reveal hidden opportunities – They help us see possibilities we previously overlooked.
4. Engage our imagination – They invite creative thinking rather than analytical problem-solving.
5. Create meaningful change – They connect our work to a larger purpose and impact.

How to Ask Bigger Questions

Asking bigger questions isn’t just about using different words; it requires a different mindset:

1. Embrace Curiosity

Approach situations with genuine wonder rather than rushing to solutions. Ask “why” repeatedly to get to deeper truths.

2. Question Assumptions

Identify the hidden assumptions in your thinking and deliberately challenge them. What if the opposite were true?

3. Shift Perspectives

View challenges through different lenses: your customers, competitors, or even someone from a different industry.

4. Think Long-Term

Extend your time horizon. How would you approach this problem if you were thinking 10 years ahead, not just next quarter?

5. Make It Personal

Connect questions to human impact. How might this change people’s lives? What emotions might it evoke?

Big Questions That Changed Industries

History shows us the transformative power of asking bigger questions:

• Airbnb didn’t ask, “How can we build a better hotel?” They asked, “What if people could monetize their extra space?”
• Tesla didn’t ask, “How can we make better electric cars?” They asked, “How can we accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy?”
• Netflix didn’t ask, “How can we improve the video rental experience?” They asked, “What if content could come to you instead of you going to content?”
• SpaceX didn’t ask, “How can we reduce launch costs?” They asked, “What if rockets were reusable like airplanes?”

Practical Application: Transforming Your Questions

Here’s a simple exercise to practice asking bigger questions:

1. Write down a challenge you’re currently facing
2. Note the questions you’ve been asking about it
3. For each question, ask: “What’s a bigger version of this question?”
4. What new possibilities emerge from these bigger questions?

The Risk of Not Asking Bigger Questions

Organizations that stick to small questions face existential risks. Kodak asked, “How can we sell more film?” instead of “How might digital technology transform photography?” We know how that story ended.

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Bottom line: Innovation isn’t just about finding better answers, it’s about asking better questions. And the most significant innovations come from the biggest questions. So next time you face a challenge, don’t just ask “How can we improve?” Ask “What needs reinvention?”

Your future might depend on it.

What bigger questions are you asking at work? Share in the comments below!