Bottom Line Up Front: "What if?" isn't just curiosity—it's a strategic breakthrough tool that unlocks innovation and dissolves impossible problems. Leaders who master this simple question create competitive advantages while their competitors remain trapped in past-focused thinking and blame cycles.

I've always depended on "What If?" This simple yet mind-opening innovative question can change the focus in a meeting so easily. I use it all the time with clients. It will work for you too. Here's why.

We've all been trained to ask the typical questions in our businesses and lives. Who, what, when, where, and how are the traditional areas to explore. After three decades as a executive consultant in high tech, I've learned that these questions aren't the best approach to opening our minds and fueling innovation and creative thinking.

Those traditional questions tend to focus on the context of a specific thing in the present or past. On the other hand, "What if?" focuses on a possibility yet to be discovered.

Since I'm a big believer in ditching the status quo and opening to new and expanded choices and possibilities, "What if?" is fast becoming my favorite question of all time!

What If?

There are so many times to use this question in our professional and personal lives. Here are some of my favorite (and personal) examples:

Problem Solving Our traditional approach goes something along the lines of Who did What, When and Where did they do it and How did it happen?

In my client experience I learned that this line of questioning a) pointed the focus to the past and b) quickly turned into a blame game. That's not exactly productive, now is it?

When I spun the focus to the solution and a positive future – the results became much more powerful. Simply ask questions like, "What if we tried a new approach? What if we solved this issue while focusing on a sustainable future solution? How might that solution appear?" You'll see the difference in your results!

I remember a tech startup where the engineering team was stuck debugging a product launch disaster. Traditional questions led to finger-pointing between development and QA. The moment we shifted to "What if we designed a system that made these errors impossible?" the entire energy changed. Within hours, they'd mapped out process innovations that not only solved the immediate crisis but prevented future ones.

Personal Differences Your boss sees things one way and you see them another. Your partner reads that email one way and you meant it totally differently. We've all been there. It's part of being human.

One of the fastest ways to get ahead of the potential conflict in such situations is to simply ask, "What if I put myself in their shoes? What if I look thru their eyes and perspectives?"

By doing just that, we shift our perspectives to include those of others, then bring that insight to bear on uniting in a common perception around pretty much any topic. From that place, we have the power to create amazing results that include all the perspectives.

This same principle transforms boardroom dynamics. I've watched executives turn heated strategic disagreements into breakthrough innovations by asking, "What if both perspectives are pointing to something we haven't seen yet?" Instead of defending positions, they start discovering solutions that transcend the original conflict.

Brainstorming I wish I had a dollar for every brainstorming session that focused on the Who, What, When, Where and How of the past as a starting point for the future. It's the way we've all been taught to think.

What if we changed it? Instead of starting with the way we've always done it, what if we started by asking the "What if?" question, focusing on innovation and new ideas in our future?

Sure, we have to add some practical insights based on the what of our business. Yet beginning with a blank whiteboard, meaning an open mind, is one of the most powerful ways to stimulate creative thinking.

Asking the "What if? question to fill that whiteboard will fuel creativity and innovation. Isn't that what brainstorming is all about?

Strategic Planning Traditional strategic planning asks "How do we improve what we have?" But breakthrough companies ask different questions. "What if our industry assumptions are wrong? What if our biggest constraint became our biggest advantage? What if we approached this like we were a startup with nothing to lose?"

When I worked with a manufacturing company struggling with supply chain costs, traditional analysis focused on optimizing existing vendors and processes. The "what if" approach led them to ask, "What if we became the supply chain solution for our competitors?" That question sparked a pivot that doubled their revenue within 18 months.

Parenting and Relationships The same principle transforms family dynamics. Instead of "Why did you do that?" try "What if we figured out a way to make this work for both of us?" Instead of defending your position in a relationship conflict, ask "What if we're both right and there's a third option we haven't discovered?"

The Bottom Line

We've all been programmed to dive into the past to solve problems, to create and defend our own perspectives and to think about our future. We do this by asking the traditional set of questions.

Questions are a powerful way to trigger our conscious mind into action. Yet if we ask questions that focus on our past – we have little foundation to create anything other than what's already in our past.

By asking "What if?" we trigger our minds to step into the openness of not knowing.

We also open a blank space within which we have the freedom to create and innovate outside of the structure of our past.

Whether you're navigating a career transition, solving a business challenge, improving a relationship, or reimagining your life direction—"What if?" opens doors that traditional questions keep locked. It's the difference between incremental improvement and breakthrough transformation.

Give it a try!

Image courtesy of michcastellanos