The deceptively simple filter that protects priorities and keeps teams focused on what matters. Not all problems are urgent. Not all problems are meaningful. This one question keeps teams from chasing noise, patching symptoms, or fixing things that don’t actually matter.

We’re all in a rush to do. Finish the work. Hit the target. Move on. A Harvard Business School study found that employees who spent 15 minutes at the end of their day reflecting on what they learned performed 23% better than those who didn’t.

My friend Simon Dobbin, a film art director, had two weeks to turn an Olympic-sized swimming pool yellow for a key movie scene. He tried food dye, but the colour vanished in chlorinated water. It only worked in drinking water. He was stuck. He knew the chemicals were part of the problem, so asked someone the right knowledge and found the solution. It’s simple and surprising.

Quick fixes are tempting. A symptom shows up—missed deadlines, poor morale, low sales—and we rush to solve it. But treating symptoms is like taping over the check engine light. Creating valuable change starts with asking better questions.

A 2014 study from Washington University found that students who believed they were going to teach what they were learning understood it more deeply than those who thought they’d just be tested on it. The shift? It’s not just about memorising answers—it’s about organising knowledge, connecting dots, and anticipating questions.

You hear, “The issue is our software is too slow,” and suddenly every solution revolves around upgrades, patches, or speed tests. But what if the real problem is something else entirely—poor process, unclear expectations, or a lack of training? Anchoring bias tricks us into solving the first thing we hear, not the right thing. Here are three questions to ask to not get fooled by anchoring bias.

When we hold back at work—our curiosity, our quirky ideas, our full intensity—we think we're being safe. But really, we're slowing down the whole system.

A flat tire isn’t just a delay. It’s a story about staying calm under pressure. About helping someone. About the podcast that sparked your next great idea. The moment something happens, we get to choose: What meaning will we make of this? Stories are the glue that binds solutions to our biggest problems. They have four key elements.

Not the nodding kind that means “I see your point,” but the kind that says, “Let’s not make this discussion uncomfortable.” But here’s the thing—progress doesn’t come from comfort. It comes from tension. Productive, respectful, creative tension. Inside is three phrases to use to create and manage constructive disagreement.

When Profession Andrew Maynard from Arizona State University created a course on AI in education, he didn’t start with exploring its possibilities—he started with understanding its limitations. The reason: limitations amplify creative thinking.

Want to grow? Then expect fear to show up. Research shows we have three specific fears when it comes to learning something new: fear of uncertainty, fear of looking incompetent and fear of wasted effort. Having the courage to take a first step is the best way to control it and not let it hold you back.

Blaming others makes us feel better, but it robs us of the chance to grow and get better. Growth isn't about avoiding failure, it’s about owning it and learning from it when it does.

How often at the start of a brainstorming workshop have you said, “No idea is a bad idea,” and then watch the room go silent. Why does this happen? Because people have been conditioned to believe that bad ideas are punished — with eye rolls, silence, or polite dismissal. Here’s how to fix it.

In most workplaces, curiosity isn’t actively discouraged—it’s just forgotten. People get so busy “doing their jobs” that they stop asking why they’re doing them the way they are. Here’s how one of the world's most innovative chefs, Heston Blumenthal, built an empire by cultivating a curiosity culture.

It’s not just about knowing AI exists; it’s about being the one to find and express clearly the problems it can solve.

The fear of criticism, the fear of losing control, and the fear of career impact. They stifle curiosity, prevent people from taking initiative and keep us stuck in our comfort zone. In fact, the ability to manage them is what separates those who thrive from those who don't. Here's how to manage them.

Some of the most impactful problem-solvers aren’t the ones with all the answers—they’re the ones who know how to ask the right questions.

At 21 years old, Tom Hanks was just starting his career and received advice from a cranky Director that would shape the rest of his life. The advice was: “Show up on time, know the text and have an idea.” They became principles he now lives by.

Most people assume that collaboration is a natural byproduct of teamwork. Put smart, capable people together, and they’ll collaborate, right? Not exactly. Collaboration doesn’t just happen—it has to be designed. And the way you design it depends on what kind of collaboration you need.

Can you see beyond the blind spot of your own expertise? The most successful people chose to. Experience is a great teacher, but too much of it can trap us in a prison of our own making, unless we cultivate an awareness of it. Chris Sacca of Lowercase Capital and a regular US Shark Tank guest is all to aware of this and its limitations and offers a strategy to overcome it.