The Answer to Every Problem Is a Better Question

What Is a Problem?

A problem is “a situation that causes difficulty and needs to be solved.”

Great. Simple enough.

Let’s make it a little spicier with an example.

Let’s say you’re driving to work for a meeting with that annoying manager — who always uses corny clichés — when suddenly, you start hearing a weird clicking noise from the front of your car.

Annoying.

You take it to a mechanic.

“My car’s making a weird noise,” you say.

Not the most helpful observation, but hey — it’s their problem now right?

The mechanic listens.

Maybe even takes it for a short drive.

Then he comes back and says:

“Your CV joint is worn out.”

Okay. Sure. My CV joint… Right.

Now, you could ask what we in the business call “a stupid question” — like “What’s a CV joint?” — but luckily, your mechanic is a fan of good questions, so before you get the chance to embarrass yourself, he asks:

“Do you make a lot of tight turns when you accelerate?”

At first you think:

“Well yeah. Doesn’t everybody?”

And suddenly, you realize — no.

Probably not.

Because ever since you saw the 75th Fast & Furious movie last year, every time you pull out of a parking lot, you hit the gas like you’re running from the law.

It doesn’t matter if you’re just leaving the grocery store — for some reason, it’s just always felt cooler to drive out of parking lots like you just robbed a bank.

But no matter how cool it feels, now that you think about it…you don’t really see too many other people doing that.

You share this revelation with Mr. Mechanic and it turns out that cute little habit is wrecking your CV joint — the part that lets your wheels turn without cutting off engine power.

That clicking noise is the sound of your car begging you to stop.

Your problem isn’t the noise.

Your problem is your habit of driving like Vin Diesel.

A bad question would’ve been:

“How do I stop the noise?”

A better question was:

“What’s causing the noise?”

And an even better question is:

“What am I doing that’s making this noise happen?”

Boom.

A better question led to a better answer — which leads to a real solution.

Bad questions are what make people cover up car noises by turning up the radio.

Good questions lead to fundamental changes that stop the problems from happening again.

So, how do you know if the question you’re asking is a good one?

What Makes a Great Question

First off, if there’s such a thing as a “good question,” that means there is in fact such a thing as a dumb one.

But not “dumb question” like the ones you were afraid to ask in middle school.

I find that dumb questions often happen outside of the classroom — when everyone assumes they already know all the answers.

For example, when you miss a deadline and your boss asks:

“Didn’t I tell you I wanted this report finished by Thursday?”

Yes.

He did.

He knows that.

You both know that.

That’s a rhetorical question.

A loaded question.

And as far as I’m concerned:

A dumb question.

Dumb questions get asked when we’re playing games of power and trying to assert dominance.

They are based on assumptions and aren’t asked with genuine curiosity.

They might win you some “gotcha” points, but they hardly ever illuminate more truth — which is the whole purpose of a question in the first place.

So here are a few tips on how to stop asking dumb questions — and start asking great ones:

How to Ask a Great Question

1. A Great Question Is Humble.

It’s not a good question if you think you already know the answer.

Seems obvious, right?

But people ask questions they already “know” the answer to all the time.

Rhetorical questions:

“Why are people so stupid?”

You don’t even want an answer with this question. You want to look smart.

Leading questions:

“Don’t you think this is ridiculous?”

You’re not asking for an answer. You’re telling someone how to respond.

Loaded questions:

“So when did you decide to be a terrible person?”

Nobody wins here.

You’ve already assumed the person is terrible when, in fact, the terrible person might be the one asking the terrible question.

A great question comes from curiosity, not control.

It’s not about proving a point.

It’s about uncovering something true.

Something you want to know.

2. A Great Question Is Fearless.

A lot of people are afraid to ask the question they really want to ask.

But if you want to be someone who asks great questions, you have to believe that there is no question that is off the table.

Ever.

A great question doesn’t care if it makes you sound dumb or if people raise their eyebrows when you ask it.

A great question is about seeking truth, not maintaining appearances.

For example:

“What if the Earth is actually flat?”

Dumb?

Maybe.

But the process of proving it wrong leads to real understanding.

“Why do people still listen to Kanye?”

Are you defending him?

No.

You just want to understand cultural influence and human psychology.

3. A Great Question Makes Someone Think.

A great question disrupts autopilot.

It forces someone to stop and actually find an answer.

Compare these two:

❌ “Is AI going to take over the world?”

Vague, fear-based, easy to answer with whatever headline you last saw.

✅ “What exactly would AI need to do before we consider it ‘taking over’?”

Now we’re getting somewhere.

If your question can be answered in two seconds with a knee-jerk opinion, it’s probably not a great one.

It’s the difference between:

“How was your day?”

And:

“What was the hardest moment of your day?”

4. Great Questions Are First Principles Questions.

A great question doesn’t just assume everything you’ve heard is true.

It breaks things down to their most basic level — their first principles.

For example:

Bad question:

“How do we fix the education system?”

Way too broad.

Assumes it’s “broken.”

Great question:

“What is the actual purpose of education?”

Now we’re digging into the roots of truth.

Instead of stacking assumptions on top of each other, strip them away.

What do I actually not know?

Start there.

And finally…

5. Great Questions Are Constructive.

Imagine your husband, for the life of him, can’t seem to stop cheating on you.

Here are some unhelpful questions to ask in that scenario:

Is it because I’m too fat?

Am I going to be alone forever?

…Should I kill him?

Those can send you down a spiral — or jail — without bringing you any closer to an answer.

The questions you ask should be constructive.

They should provide clarity and direction.

Not confusion and chaos.

Maybe something more along the lines of:

“If he doesn’t change, am I willing to keep dealing with this for the rest of my life?”

That’s a question worth asking.

Good questions can be dangerous.

They can be scary.

They can pull the rug out from everything you know.

But we must ask great questions — especially when we’re asking them to ourselves.

In Conclusion

In a world where everyone’s an armchair expert, it feels like the best thing to be isn’t someone who has all the answers.

It’s to be the person who asks better questions.

Great questions aren’t based on assumption.

They aren’t limited to a preset catalogue of acceptable answers.

And they aren’t driven by ego.

Honestly, they don’t even have to be complicated.

They can be as simple as:

“What do you mean by that?”

Or:

“What would change your mind?”

The better the question, the better the answer — and the closer we get to something that actually works.

So, in conclusion:

Every single human that has ever existed has had problems — but if we ask better questions, we can solve bigger problems.

Solve bigger problems, become more effective humans.

Sounds like a fair trade to me.

So before you try to fix your next problem, first take a step back and ask:

Am I even asking the right question?

Because if not, you might as well just turn up the radio and pretend you can’t hear that clicking noise.

-Imari