What are questions?

I never had the privilege to meet Prof. Clayten Christensen in his lifetime, nor read his books. Yet his influence has somehow trickled down. Here’s one, on learning, from Co-founder and CEO of Basecamp, Inc., the company that makes a pretty nifty web productivity tool that I use a bit.

I’m going to extract the bits that stuck with me, although the full article is well worth a read.

… someone can’t be taught until they’re ready to learn… Why though? Why can’t someone be taught until they’re ready to learn?

“Questions are places in your mind where answers fit. If you haven’t asked the question, the answer has nowhere to go. It hits your mind and bounces right off. You have to ask the question — you have to want to know — in order to open up the space for the answer to fit.”

Wow. I guess with experience over time, that’s easy to figure out. But to have Prof. Christensen explain it that way… it sticks.