What Business are You in: Question or Answers?

Transcript

Hi, it’s Peter Winick. I’m the founder and CEO at Thought Leadership Leverage, and here’s the idea that I’d like to share with you today, and that’s this:

Do you know what business you’re in?

What do I mean by that? Well, some thought leaders, experts, and authors are in the question business, while others are in the answer business.

What do I mean by this? If you’re in an advisory role, if you’re coaching, your job is really to ask the right questions—to get the client to make the connections they need, to think about things a little differently, to synthesize their thinking so that they come up with an answer to the situation they’re in.

If you’re hired as a consultant, as an expert, part of what you’re getting paid for is your experience, your expertise, your answers. So, you need to understand that the value proposition is different when you’re in the question business than when you’re in the answer business, and you need to know how to position yourself accordingly.

It seems like a simple question, but think about it. Go back over the last couple of months in the type of work that you’ve done and ask yourself:

“Do I find myself more often in the question business or the answer business?”

Then, think about which of those you enjoy more. Are you positioned and getting compensated appropriately for whichever one is best for you?

Love to hear your thoughts.