You Can Control Your Work Through Questioning Skills

Take a moment to look back on your day.

How much of your work was truly necessary to ultimately provide value to the customer and earn revenue? Most people likely spend a lot of time on tasks that they didn't actually need to do in the first place.

Typical patterns of doing unnecessary work include:

　・Not knowing what to stop doing
　・Sticking to the ways of past workplaces
　・Accepting instructions exactly as they are given

and so on.
To avoid these, it is first effective to ask:

　"Does this really lead to providing value?"
　"Why has this method always been done this way?"

and to doubt premises and habits using zero-based thinking.

Zero-based thinking refers to a mindset of trying to think from a blank slate regarding a goal, without being bound by existing frameworks. In existing frameworks, past precedents and various regulations narrow the scope of thought, making it difficult to reach the optimal method for a goal. Therefore, it is considered important to have a mindset of trying to think with "zero-based thinking" in any situation at work.

People who cannot do this do not understand the essence of their work, or do not intend to understand it, so they cannot make decisions themselves and cannot have the confidence to take "responsibility," and thus inevitably cannot adopt zero-based thinking.

However, if you try to suddenly change your habits, it may look to others like you are "doing things on your own." To avoid being seen as just rebelling, it is important to convey your own arguments and hypotheses correctly while also being considerate of their feelings and face.

　"How much should I do?"

If you ask with an open-ended question like this, the other party's demands may escalate, increasing the possibility that unnecessary work will continue to expand. When the other party is the type who is not very easy to talk to, it is effective to accept the work after clarifying the conditions with a closed-ended question, such as"I will proceed within this scope, is that okay?".

However, if you use closed-ended questions too often, the other party will get fed up. This is because many people feel that if there are too many, it is closer to an interrogation than a conversation. The other party is human, too. It is tough to be asked endless mechanical YES/NO questions.

Therefore,

I recommend interspersing one open-ended question for every three closed-ended ones,
and also adding your own opinion in the form of "acknowledgment" at key points.

If you proceed so that it does not become too monotonous and sometimes becomes a "conversation," the other party will likely answer you pleasantly.

Also, if the other party is someone you can negotiate with to some extent,

　"Could you have someone else help with this part?"
　"I will do this work, so could you reduce that work for me?"

and other such conditions that the other party can accept, it is also good to consider spending more time on work that leads to value.