How do you stop the merry-go-round of life and have intentional, meaningful interactions with people that can change the world? That’s “A Great Question.”
I always leave feeling energized when engaged in a question that sparks my thinking, challenges my beliefs or changes my perspective. I’m most alive when I’m talking about ideas. Far too often, conversations degrade into the familiar topically-related, boring as shit stuff: “yesterday’s game” or “xx B list celebrity who is in rehab again.” I’m pumped up when I’m with Creators instead of Consumers.
In my heart, it isn’t that people don’t want to have these thought-provoking, exploring the world like you’re back in college and you’re pulling an all-nighter conversations. It’s that we’ve lost the convenient platform to do it. In fact, I think as humans we crave it.
I’m going to create that platform again. I want to spur these interactions (and hopefully inspire others to extend it):
At least once a month, I’m going to ask three people somehow connected to my network to lunch. My treat. I’ll share LinkedIn or Facebook or Twitter profiles with the invite. Before we meet, I’m going to send, “A Great Question” to discuss over lunch. This will allow people to consider the question before arriving, think about extensions of that question and I think will have more meaningful interactions.
Simple Ground Rules:
- Come with an Open Mind and a Huge Heart ready to share ideas with potential strangers.
- No judging. If someone is wanting to join the circus, tell them, “Awesome.”
- Challenge ideas vociferously while respecting the person. (An idea can be “terrible”, but that doesn’t mean the person is terrible.)
When the lunch ends, I am going to ask if you know anyone in your circle who may want to participate in the next round of “A Great Question.” And, I hope you’ll extend the conversation by taking three more people to lunch and exploring, “A Great Question.”
Examples of some great questions:
- If happiness was the national currency, what kind of work would make you rich?
- Is it possible to know, without a doubt, what is good and what is evil?
- What is the difference between being alive and truly living?
- When is it time to stop calculating risk and rewards, and just go ahead and do what you know is right?
- What would you do differently if you knew nobody would judge you?
- For your great great grandchildren listening to this years from now: is there any wisdom you’d want to pass on to them? What would you want them to know?
- What lessons has your work life taught you?
- If you could do anything now, what would you do? Why?
- How has being a parent influenced your approach at work?
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