Amazon CEO Andy Jassy says he’s never been afraid to pose questions. As a kid, Jassy persistently asked family and friends, “Why?” to learn about the world — “perhaps to an annoying extent,” he wrote in his most recent annual letter to shareholders, which published on April 10.
Throughout his tenure at the $2.01 trillion company, Jassy has noticed that the same simple question has helped Amazon, and its employees, become successful, he wrote. The employees and teams who most ask “Why?” and regularly prod for more answers, are the ones that best break down complex problems and create new products, he explained.
“In the nearly 28 years I’ve been at Amazon, the biggest difference in the relative growth of companies and individuals has been their aptitude to learn,” Jassy wrote, adding: “People with high YQ [the instinct to frequently ask ‘Why?’] are always curious how they can get better, become wiser, and incorporate their new knowledge into better customer experiences.”
Asking “Why?” can encourage “constructive debate” and messy meetings, Jassy said: That often helps prevent mistakes or brainstorm new ideas.
“You can’t book 60 minutes to invent Amazon Prime, or AWS [Amazon Web Services] or Alexa+,” he wrote. “These inventions are borne out of somebody asking why we can’t change what’s possible for customers, and then they take on a life of their own, often meandering down multiple dead ends before getting to a final destination.”
Inquisitiveness can be a powerful trait in the workplace, according to communication experts. Getting a second opinion, trying to figure out how something is done or even gently challenging an idea can even help you gain influence among your colleagues, Stanford lecturer Matt Abrahams
“It demonstrates you care, it demonstrates empathy, it demonstrates you’re willing to learn and, in some cases, admit you don’t know everything,” said Abrahams. That approach can make clear that you’re open to feedback, and it can make the other person feel more comfortable asking you for your opinion when they need advice.
The soft skill might become increasingly valuable in the age of artificial intelligence, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman predicted during a January 7 episode of Wharton organizational psychologist Adam Grant’s “ReThinking” podcast.
“There will be a kind of ability we still really value, but it will not be raw, intellectual horsepower to the same degree,” Altman said. “Figuring out what questions to ask will be more important than figuring out the answer.