So What? gets straight to the point so you can cut through the noise and nonsense of work. Much of what we learn in our formative years is unlearnt in later life. As grown-ups we are often unable to answer the simplest of questions in a clear, direct way, and frequently have no idea why we are doing something. This can lead to crippling inefficiency in business, and goes some way to explaining why so many people spend so much time doing things that have no bearing on the true purpose.
by behaving in a genuinely inquisitive way, you can get right to the heart of the matter and save yourself hours, days, and even months of anguish. The questions So what?, Why?, How?, and When? can be hugely effective when applied in the right context, and this book shows you how to use them.
Once all the right questions have been posed, there is a final sure-fire method for testing whether something is relevant and helpful. By completing the sentence "Something must be wrong if...", it is simple to work out if you are wasting your time. For example, "Something must be wrong if I don't want to go to work in the morning."
So What? shows you how to become truly inquisitive again. So let the questions roll. Pay attention to what the answers are. Learn from them, and you will immediately improve your prospects of finally getting somewhere in life.
Introduction: Understanding the Value of Questions.1. SO WHAT?
How to use theSo what? cycle of questions.
How to use theSo what? question.
For internal use only?
InternalSo what? questions.
ExternalSo what? questions.
The art of inquisition.
The Inquisition Equations.
Learning from children.
Venting your feelings.
Sticking it to the man.
The power of feelings.
The importance of getting feelings out in the open.
Directional and pointed lines of inquiry.
Organizing your feelings.
Who cares about other peoples feelings?
Interlocking your feelings with theirs.
What not to say, and when not to say it.
Pointless expressions of feelings.
Helpful, directional expressions of feelings.
The power of pointy thinking.
Getting the mix right.
Conceding ground to make progress.
The difference between an instruction and a true purpose.
Summary ofSo what? thinking.
So what? summary.
Exercise: Expressing your feelings.
2. WHY?
The power ofWhy?
WhatWhy? means.
Why? For what reason?
Why? For what purpose?
Why? For what cause?
Whydunnit?
Why are we here?
How to use theWhy? question.
InternalWhy? questions.
ExternalWhy? questions.
Three pipe problems.
When askingWhy?, stick to the facts.
TheWhy? chromosome.
How being inquisitive leads to success and job satisfaction.
If you need to askWhy?, the sooner you do it the better.
Why bother?
Write a list of what you arenot going to do.
Why, oh why? Disgusted of Tunbridge Wells.
Constructive questioning: what are your better ideas?
Taking the edge off theWhy? question.
Summary ofWhy? thinking.
Why? summary.
Exercise: Getting constructive questioning right.
3. HOW?
Time to take stock.
The power ofHow?
WhatHow? means.
How? In what way?
How? In what manner?
How? By what means?
AskHow? early to avoid disappointment
Theres no such thing as a bad idea.
Yes there is!
How to use theHow? question.
ExternalHow? questions.
Establish hownot to do it.
InternalHow? questions.
The killerHow? question.
No room for vague.
IndirectHow? questions: fl ush out and fl esh out.
QualitativeHow? questions.
Hopeless answers toHow? questions.
HOW? Resistor Type No. 1: Hackneyed Office Worker.
HOW? Resistor Type No. 2: Horrible Old Ways.
HOW? Resistor Type No. 3: Hunch Overcomes Wisdom.
Simple is good.
SubsidiaryHow? lines of inquiry.
How do you do? Finding out how others do it.
If you cant answer theHow? question, ditch the project.
Firing off regular Howitzers.
Summary ofHow? thinking.
How? summary.
Exercise: Moving from concept to reality.
4. WHO?
WhatWho? means.
The cult ofWho?
The power ofWho?
How to use theWho? question.
ExternalWho? questions.
InternalWho? questions.
Who? Which person?
Who me? Im too busy.
Who? Which persons?
The kids are alright.
Whose responsibility?
If its you, get your head straight.
Who are you?
If its someone else, get the people right.
Spotting the wrong people.
Jargon and cliché red alert.
Whos next?
Who by numbers.
Wont get fooled again.
Summary ofWho? thinking.
Exercise: Who is actually going to do this?
5. WHEN?
The power ofWhen?
WhatWhen? means.
When? At what time?
When? Over what period?
Problem 1: Other stuff.
Problem 2: Vagueness.
How to use theWhen? question.
ExternalWhen? questions.
InternalWhen? questions.
Understanding the time spectrum.
Its now or never.
Understanding time.
Long-, medium-, short-, and no-term.
Dealing with deadlines.
Introducing livelines.
How long is a deadline?
If youre going to panic, learn how to panic early.
Why essay crises dont work.
Bite-sized chunks.
Time lags and what to do about them.
The false metrics of the Finance Director.
Timing your run.
When did this happen before?
When will I see you again?
Whenever isnt enough.
Just say when.
SubsidiaryWhen? questions.
Summary ofWhen? thinking.
Exercise: When to publicize the plan.
6. WHERE?
WhatWhere? means.
The power ofWhere?
How to use theWhere? question.
In, at, or to what place, point, or position?
In, at, or to which place?
The importance of precision.
Where? In your head.
Where? Rough draft on paper.
Where? Refi ned computer copy.
Where? Colleagues and team exposure.
Where? Offi ce awareness.
Preparation: whatyou have to do beforehand.
Preparation: whatthey have to do beforehand.
Rules of engagement: what you have to do on the day.
Where? Town/city involvement.
Where? Country (multiple centres).
Where? (In)continent.
Where? Worldwide operation.
Wherehousing: dealing with multinational teams.
Where? Feedback.
The power of context.
SubsidiaryWhere? questions.
Wherever.
Wherewithal.
Wherewolves and how to track them down.
The whereafter.
Summary ofWhere? thinking.
Exercise: Hunt the colleague.
7. DO WE REALLY NEED TO DO THIS?
Recap of all the questions so far.
The power ofDo we really need to do this?
WhatDo we really need to do this? means.
How to use theDo we really need to do this? question.
ExternalDo we really need to do this? questions.
InternalDo we really need to do this? questions.
If it doesnt tick all the boxes, dont do it.
Do we really need to do this? Today.
Do we really need to do this? Tomorrow.
Do we really need to do this? Next week.
Do we really need to do this? Next month.
Do we really need to do this? Next year.
Do we really need to do this? Ever.
How does this compare with everything else we are doing?
Whats the point of this?
To what effect?
Remind me. Whatwas the original idea?
Do we really need to do this? summary.
Exercise: Ever or never.
8. SOMETHING MUST BE WRONG IF.
The power ofSomething must be wrong if.
WhatSomething must be wrong if means.
How to use theSomething must be wrong ifstatement.
ExternalSomething must be wrong if statements.
No one wants to do it.
Everyone claims to be too busy.
There are other more pressing matters, apparently.
Postponement is suggested.
There isnt enough budget.
The right resources arent immediately available.
InternalSomething must be wrong if statements.
I dont fancy it.
Ive got a horrible feeling its all going to go wrong.
I never did like the idea anyway.
I dont like the people Im working with.
I dont want to go to work in the morning.
I cant be bothered to fi ll in the rest of this sentence.
Little voices: the value of speaking up.
The power of honesty.
Something must be wrong if summary.
Exercise: Fill in the rest of this sentence.
9. ARE WE THERE YET?
Learning from children.
Surviving long journeys.
The power ofAre we there yet?
How to use theAre we there yet? question.
ExternalAre we there yet? questions.
InternalAre we there yet? questions.
Dealing with problems.
The value of originality.
The power of synectics.
Other childish questions.
Final roundup of questions.
Ready to make the leap?
Are we there yet? summary.
Exercise: Questioning everything like a child.
10. WHAT? AUTHORS POSTSCRIPT.
TheWhat? question.
Whats it all for? The meaning of life, and work.
Say what?
What are you doing?
If you dont know what you are doing.
Back to the beginning.
Exercise: What the @!*k am I doing?!
APPENDICES.
I Book Summaries.
II Origin of Time Divisions.
III Gottschaldt Figurine Solutions.
IV Bibliography.
INDEX.
