Week 1: Introduction

Week 2-5: Fear of Losing the Business

Week 3: Always Consult Instead of Sell

Week 4: Tell the Kind Truth

Week 5: Enter the Danger

Week 6-8: Fear of Being Embarrased

Week 6: Ask Dumb Questions

Week 9-12: Fear of Feeling Inferior

Week 13: Wrap-up

Week 6: Ask Dumb Questions

Week 6

Ask Dumb Questions

Fear of Being Embarrased

In Week 6 of our journey through of Patrick Lencioni’s Getting Naked, we take a look at the strategy of “Asking Dumb Questions.” Lighthouse consultants (aka Naked Consultants) overcome the fear of being embarrassed with tremendous curiosity to learn first-hand and real-time with those they serve. When they play the averages they know the truly dumb questions will be forgotten for the ones that created breakthroughs and helped clients think and talk differently.

Strategy Intro Video

Call Pre-work

Read the quote and respond:

“Naked service providers are the ones who ask the questions that others in the room are afraid to ask out of fear that they would embarrass themselves”… “But clients love it. They’re almost always going to remember the great question we asked and forget about the others, especially when we can quickly forget and humbly acknowledge the questions that turn out to be poor.”

Getting Naked, pg 206

Questions:

What is one of your most embarrassing moments in front of a client?
What are some specific examples of “dumb” questions you have asked or seen asked by a consultant you were working with?
What are some examples of when you or someone you were with tried to appear smart in front of a client?
How much research do you do before initial conversations with potential clients?
What’s an example of a question you have asked that was truly embarrassing?

Additional Quotes from Getting Naked

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“Another hand went up, this time from a woman with a pitchfork. ‘Why isn’t one of our partners running the Lighthouse transition?’ The room went cold and silent. I lurched for comic relief. ‘Well, first I’d like to ask you all to be a little more direct. It seems like you’re holding back.’ To my relief, this elicited a hearty round of laughter, thought I detected more cynicism in it than affection.“

Getting Naked, pg 35

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“Marty jumped in. ‘As you guys know, there are as many different approaches to consulting as there are consulting firms in the world, and I’m guessing that what we do is pretty different.’ ‘What is that based on?’ Matt asked, but not in a defensive way.“

Getting Naked, pg 45

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“But on more than one occasion, Amy did something that was at once ridiculous and wonderful. Often, when the chief technology officer or one of the medical doctors on the team started using an acronym or term that I didn’t understand, she would interrupt and ask them what it meant. Evidently, she didn’t know either. And a few times, the answer was obvious.“

Getting Naked, pg 89

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“As simple as this was, I couldn’t help but think that I would have been mortified to ask a client those questions. Though I would have been terrified of being caught, I would have simply pretended to know what they were talking about and then looked up terms during a break or, if I was feeling particularly bold, ask someone quietly, one on one. Amy didn’t seem to care what they thought.“

Getting Naked, pg 89

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“Though I had grown accustomed to the Lighthouse method of doing collaborative, real-time client research than preparing an answer ahead of time, I couldn’t resist looking at my old files to get ready for the meeting.“

Getting Naked, pg 106

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“‘When a Lighthouse consultant doesn’t understand something, they always probe. Whether it’s an industry term or an acronym or a concept that everyone else in the room seems to understand, they just never pretend to know more than they do’… ‘I always admire them and feel like a wuss for not asking it myself. And I think their clients appreciate that about them.’“

Getting Naked, pg 163

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Ask Dumb Questions Articles

Ask Dumb Questions Call Notes

Jun 21, 2024

Dumb vs. Simple Questions: Example from Pat's book: A consultant asking why advertising was missing from a budget, which initially seemed obvious...

3Fears

Week 6: Ask Dumb Questions

Week 6

Ask Dumb Questions

Fear of Being Embarrased

Strategy Intro Video

Call Pre-work

Additional Quotes from Getting Naked

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Ask Dumb Questions Articles

Ask Dumb Questions Call Notes