Impossible is Nothing? and other Irrelevant Questions that Add Absolutely No Value

The last portion of this Seth Godin blog post talks about the two types of questions encountered at a meeting:

1. Questions designed to honestly elicit more information
2. Questions designed to demonstrate how much you know or your position on an issue and to put the answerer on the defensive

 

I think that Investment Bankers are bred to ask the second question and furthermore, the “CYA” (cover your ass) mentality is drilled into you from the moment you start as an analyst or associate at any investment bank.  That was the state I was in before I quit banking and ultimately ended up in Private Equity – I didn’t even know that being curious could add value!  I very quickly learned from the NSR founding partners that “question number 2” and the general CYA mentality would not take me very far.  Ironically, it really was our former Mckinsey senior associates who helped me fully understand how to add-value with questions rather then demonstrate knowledge.  I say ironically because I found myself doing a bit of “CYA” towards the end of my tenure at NSR – obviously because once I decided to leave, my motivation level wasn’t all there (see!  that is typical CYA).  Truth be told, if you are generally interested in a subject or a project you will likely find yourself naturally more curious and willing to “dive deeper” to gain more knowledge.  I’m just going to have to find something that I truly love doing to completely get rid of this banker mentality!