TEDx: What Are The Right Questions to Ask to Navigate Uncertainty?
TEDx Talk: What Are The Right Questions?
TEDx Scarisbrick 2025: Uncharted Territories
It was a privilege to speak at TEDx Scarisbrick in September. The event was entitled “Uncharted Territories: Navigating the Edge of Possibility”, and I gave a talk on how asking The Right Questions can help us navigate uncertainty. This is because,
“A prudent question is one half of wisdom.” – Francis Bacon
Good questions are essential if we want to get the right information.
If we don’t ask the right questions we won’t get the answers we need. Without the necessary information, we won’t be able to make good decisions. If we don’t make good decisions we lose our direction, don’t achieve our goals, fail in our leadership, and can end up ineffective, unhappy, or worse. That makes being able to ask questions both an essential life skillas well as a core leadership skill.
I found out how important questions are early on in my career because my first role was being a Bomb Disposal Officer.
Decisions Under Pressure
I was just savouring a coffee from my newly purchased coffeemaker when a wide-eyed and out of breath soldier stumbled into my makeshift office. My cup was poised in my hand – the aroma was fantastic – and the thought of drinking it was more alluring than anything I could imagine that this solider might interrupt me with. “This had better be good”, I thought.
“Sir! There is a suspicious package at the gates of the camp!”
I put the cup down; coffee time was over.
It was Bosnia in 2001, and I was a young Lieutenant in the Royal Engineers leading the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (bomb disposal) team in the local region. The conflict in Bosnia had died down some time ago so we were there mainly to clear up the mess that a war leaves behind, namely the mines, mortar bombs and other explosives that littered the countryside. But in the post 9/11 world, the threat of terrorist attack was at the forefront of people’s minds. In this context, an unexplained bag, right up against the front gates of a military camp, was screaming out ‘IED!’ (Improvised Explosive Device), and required immediate and serious attention.
If you would like to know what happened next, then watch the full TEDx talk YouTube video here:
If you want the right answers you have to start with the right questions
About The Right Questions
The Right Questions is for people who want to lead better, whether you are taking your first step or stepping up in leadership. We are all leaders (whether we know it or not) as we all have influence. So the question is, what are you doing with your influence?
Wherever you are on your leadership journey, I hope that you find resources on this site to help you on the next leg of your quest. Even if that is just the inspiration to take one small step in the right direction, then that is a success. If you can take pleasure in learning and travelling as you go, then so much the better.
I love to serve people, helping them unlock their values, develop their leadership, and achieve their goals, through coaching, facilitation and courses. Please get in touch and let me know how I can support you.
