Change Your Questions, Change Your Life

miracles I d won accolades as the Answer Man. I d faced down the toughest technical problems, one right after the other. However, at QTec I was also facing a different kind of challenge heading up a high-stakes, high-visibility team. I was excited about taking this on, although Alexa had let me know I d have to put effort into developing my people and leadership skills.

My team seemed an enthusiastic and talented bunch, and for a while everything went well. Then life at QTec started unraveling. It was as if suddenly a glaring spotlight was focused on my shortcomings. I didn t dare say it, but secretly I concluded I d been stuck with a bunch of losers.

To make matters worse, there was Charles. Before I came aboard at QTec he d been passed over for the job I d been offered. I could understand why he might resent me. And, just as I expected, he was a real troublemaker from the word go, questioning everything I said and did.

Things went from bad to worse. If the QTec ship wasn t actually sinking, as my friend had warned me was happening, it was definitely taking on water, and I had no idea how to plug up the leaks. My team meetings became a farce no discussions, no solutions, and no sense of teamwork. And nobody had to remind me that if we couldn t get our product to market before the competition, we would prove the naysayers right.

Life wasn t much better at home. Tension was growing with Grace, my wonderful wife of less than eight months. She constantly asked me about what was going on at work. Finally, one day I just told her she was asking too many questions and she should keep her nose out of my business. She was hurt, I was miserable, and I hadn t the vaguest idea what to do about it.

I didn t want Grace to know how much difficulty I was having. I d always taken great pri

has opened doors for thousands of our Key Executive Leadership Program graduates, exposing them to a world of reflection, questioning, and professional and personal growth . . . transformational in every sense of the word!  
Patrick S. Malone, PhD, Director, Key Executive Leadership Programs, Department of Public Administration and Policy, American University

Question Thinking has led to a radical transformation in how our teams and leaders approach problems. It also made an immediate and sustained change in their behavior. In an organizational culture, the more that people can be taught these processes, the greater positive impact they can have on productivity and the bottom line.
Carmella Granado, Senior Director, Organizational Effectiveness, Flextronics

Change Your Questions is an easy, fun story with profound and transformational possibilities . . . elegant, well-designed tools offer practical help for creating lasting and meaningful outcomes in every aspect of health care.  
David W. Moen, MD, Board Chair, TeamMD

This insightful approach to business and personal problem-solving is so powerful that it is surely destined to have a major impact in the business world.
Kathy Leech, Executive Director, Corporate Brand and Advertising, Comcast

A wonderful contribution to the world of Action Learning!
Bea Carson, PhD, cofounder and President, World Institute for Action Learning

Change Your Questions provides an invaluable road map for helping you truly understand the best way to get to the core of the issues you face. A high-impact read for every human resource and leadership development professional.
Steve Miranda, Managing Director, ILR School, Cornell University

As a leadership coach and behavioral scientist, I know how essential it is for people to shift mindsets in order to change their behavior and their lives. Dr. Adams provides a simple and brilliant system for opening the mind so breakthroughs can occur.
Marcia Reynolds, PsyD, author of The Discomfort Zone and Past President, International Coach Federation

Question Thinking offers patients, families, and clinicians a new paradigm for patient and relationship-centered care. This simple yet profound framework of questions has the potential to transform health care.
Cynda Hylton Rushton, PhD, RN, FAAN, Anne and George L. Bunting Professor of Clinical Ethics, Berman Institute of Bioethics and School of Nursing, and Professor of Nursing and Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University

Change Your Questions resonates with me because it is not just about knowing the answers but knowing how to ask questions that can transform your life. Dr. Adams s methodology is foundational to everything I do with Appreciative Inquiry and SOAR it aligns perfectly! Her Choice Map is a valuable resource for anyone who wants to learn the art of inquiry . . . The book contributes much to the fields of leadership and management . . . an easy and fun read with real-life examples and insightful wisdom to positively impact your life and the lives of those you lead.
Jacqueline M. Stavros, PhD, Professor, Lawrence Technological University; creator of SOAR; and coeditor of The Appreciative Inquiry Handbook with David L. Cooperrider and Diana Kaplin Whitney

This book is an invitation to success for individuals and organizations . . . a surprisingly simple practice to move away from judgments that prevent success and toward learning that propels us to our goals . . . practical guidelines for learning organizations.
Victoria J. Marsick, PhD, coauthor of Sculpting the Learning Organization and Professor of Adult Education, Teachers College, Columbia University

Change Your Questions is the rare book that I use almost every day. I recently asked Learner questions to quickly transform a delicate organizational situation that for a whole year had seemed intractable . . . The book changes paradigms, organizations, and lives. It s a classic!
John McAuley, PhD, President and CEO, The Leadership Studio at Muskoka Woods

Marilee s work has been a key resource to the World Café since its inception. Essential reading for those committed to their own success in conversations that matter.
Juanita Brown, cofounder of The World Café and coauthor of The World Café

The response to Change Your Questions has been overwhelmingly positive. We ve shared it across our leadership teams, and we re seeing how it s shifting conversations and having a powerful impact for ourselves and our leaders.
Marnie Escaf, Senior Vice President, University Health Network, and Executive Lead, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, and Petrina McGrath, Vice President, People, Practice and Quality, Saskatoon Health Region

If you want to master the art of coaching, you have to master asking great questions. The fastest way to crack open any situation is to use the surgical precision of a smart question. There is no question that Marilee Adams s Change Your Questions is your go-to resource!
David Goldsmith, President, Conversant

Dr. Adams s writings and her Question Thinking work have contributed significantly to our Kent State Leadership Development Program, which received a Leadership 500 Excellence Award among educational institutions. Our colleagues report many lightbulb moments as a result of Change Your Questions and Dr. Adams s superb teaching skills. Question Thinking has totally changed the types of conversations our leaders have and has also led to measurable results in terms of their career trajectories.
Robert M. Hall, Director, Training and Organizational Development, Kent State University

Marilee demonstrates why Question Thinking is absolutely essential to organizational success . . . and how easily it can be acquired.
Beverly Kaye, PhD, coauthor of Hello Stay Interviews, Goodbye Talent Loss

With clarity and accessibility, Dr. Adams models a process whereby we can intentionally change our way of internal inquiry. Imagine being in conscious charge of our own thoughts! A wonderful tool for coaches, leaders, and all helping professionals.
Pamela Richarde, MA, Master Certified Coach, Past President, International Coach Federation

This fable is destined to be a classic. Buy this book and read it tonight. Your life will never be the same!
Stewart Levine, author of The Book of Agreement and Getting to Resolution

I really love this book and it s one of the most practical I ve ever read. The greatest thing is that it s not a one and done kind of book. You ll find yourself going back to it again and again. And you ll definitely find yourself sharing it with friends and colleagues. I know I have.
Tracy Davidson, Anchor and Consumer Reporter, NBC 10 News Philadelphia

This is a must-read for any leader who wants to ask empowering questions those that inspire, motivate, and produce positive change . . . The book can truly change your personal and professional life.
Tara Rodas, Manager of Employee Development, Strategic Learning Services Division, Joint Mission Support Center, United States Postal Inspection Service and Office Inspector General

While curiosity and acute antennae are essential attributes of great leaders, Dr. Adams goes further than this . . . shows how to use questions to illuminate choices . . . and she s a terrific presenter.
Liz Barron, Senior Director, Executive Education, Smith School of Business, University of Maryland

Marilee is smarter than anyone I know about asking the questions that really matter.
Lillian Brown, author of Your Public Best