You don’t need to be the smartest person in the room to be the most valuable

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. Steve Jobs is a great example.

He wasn’t a technical expert, but he had an incredible ability to challenge his team with questions that made them think differently and see problems from new angles.

One powerful tool for doing this is inversion—flipping the problem around and asking, “What if the opposite were true?” It’s how Elon Musk reimagined space travel, leading to reusable rockets and a massive drop in the cost of launching satellites.

Problem-solving isn’t about being right; it’s about being bold enough to question what everyone else accepts. In your next meeting, don’t settle for safe answers.

Ask questions that push people out of their usual thinking.

Challenge assumptions. Encourage bold, crazy ideas. You’ll be amazed at the hidden breakthroughs you can unlock when you create space for bigger thinking.