The power of questions

After so many years in the world of entrepreneurship, I dare to say with certainty that the success of a company depends to a large extent on the ability of its team to ask questions and question things. From the first day I started building my own company, Tiko (although this also happened to me in my previous ones), I realized that asking questions and looking for answers was fundamental to make decisions and avoid making mistakes that could harm the company.

#1 There is no time to lose

In a startup, time is money. Every decision we make, from marketing strategy to product design, has a direct impact on the success of the company. That's why it is essential to ask the right questions from the start and to continually question the assumptions you make along the way. As I have repeated in previous articles, it is not about having a critical approach, but about being able to consider different perspectives and solutions and being able to adapt.

#2 There is so much more to learn

In my experience, asking questions has been especially valuable when interacting with our clients. At first, I thought I understood my customers' needs and wants perfectly, but when I started asking questions and listening to their answers, I discovered that there was so much more to learn. Through these conversations, I discovered opportunities for improvement that I probably would not have considered otherwise.

#3 Team vision is a key tool

Asking questions has also been fundamental in building a strong and committed team. Listening to employees is fundamental to improving the performance of any company. Employees are the engine of a company; they are the ones who have a deep understanding of day-to-day operations and the areas where improvements can be made. If their perspective is ignored, the opportunity to leverage their knowledge and experience to improve the organization is lost.

In addition, when employees feel that their opinions and suggestions are valued, their motivation and commitment increases, which translates into better performance and a stronger company culture.

I would like to end this article saying that I believe that asking questions and questioning things is essential to staying relevant and competitive in any industry. It is important not to assume you have all the answers and to always be looking for ways to improve and grow. Therefore, I encourage all of you reading this article to ask questions in the office, to have conversations with clients and listen to their views, to question the decisions you make... as every answer will take you one step closer to success.

More to read:

The Book of Beautiful Questions  - Warren Berger