Why I am proud that I sluffed off school.

"Preschool children, on average, ask their parents about 100 questions a day. By middle school, they've pretty much stopped asking." - Po Bronson & Ashley Merryman, Creativity Crisis.

The thing that kids and Einstein have in common is their desire to ask questions. To wonder, experiment, fail and try again. I was fortunate enough to have music teachers that encouraged this type of thinking, but I might have been lucky. My non-music teachers encouraged me to have the right answers. What good is it to have "the right answer" when questions routinely change?  

As a recruiter, I find that employers are looking for people who can "ask the right questions." But it's a struggle because our schools teach us to comply, memorize the texts, and have the right answers.  

As a leader, I look for teams to push the boundaries by asking "why" and "what if." But it's hard when your organization seeks compliance.  

I am proud that I sluffed off school because I didn't learn the skill to comply - to have the right answers - I rarely do. Instead, I chose to ask questions of the world - of my failures, wins, and in-betweens so that I could adapt as needed.  

If you want to quickly adapt, grow, and make an impact, stop trying to have the right answers and start looking for a more beautiful question.