A journey of inquiry
When I look into the eyes of our grandchildren, I see pure wonder reflecting back: They’re hungry with curiosity about the world around them, unafraid to explore, and eager to discover something new each day. The gift of inquisitive creativity is something we were all born with – and something I believe we can sustain – by the simple act of questioning.
As author, motivational speaker for diverse, globalized corporations and events, and former Executive Director of the MIT Leadership Center, I’ve dedicated my personal and professional life to this core questioning philosophy. And today, I’d like to share this inspired work as you explore the website. Experience why questioning is so crucial to building a leader’s innovation capacity. See how it is transforming the future of learning . Learn how questions can make the world a better place . And be sure to share your own thoughts, stories and questions along the way.
We may not be able to turn back the hands of time to childhood. But if we never stop questioning, we never risk losing our own childlike sense of wonder – and power – to disrupt the status quo.
Happy Exploring!
1958
Mother was a teacher. Her gift was love. Father was a pile driver. His gift was hard work. Both were musicians at heart. The song plays on.
1961
Our “home on wheels” carried us to construction sites (7 moves in my first 5 years). Siblings and I ricocheted off the tin can walls 24/7, fueled by ADD and ADHD.
1962
Moved to Au Sable Beach Trailer Court in Peru, New York. I’m squinting on the left with four-year old friends and by their expressions, my mom no doubt took the photo.
1973
Our first home without wheels and my first photo with a 35mm camera. Elden Howlett taught me the craft of photography. Still trying to pay his gracious gift forward.
1974-1976
Friends and I traversed the Rocky Mountains from Canada to Colorado where photography flourished in reflective spaces. And yes, I once had hair on top of my head.
1975-1981
As a portrait and wedding photographer, sensing the essence of someone’s soul and seeing sparkle in their eyes was electrifying. It still is.
1977-1979
Mastering Finnish was the toughest mental task ever taken on. My brain ached as it inched up the learning curve. I will always cherish these two years with Finns.
1976-1981
Finished up a BA with an internship in the U.S. Senate. Professor Joseph Bentley’s wit and leadership wisdom pivoted my path sharply away from photography.
1981
After four months of long-distance telephone dating, Ann Tidrick and I knew without a doubt that marriage was the only option. We took the leap of love in March.
1981-1983
Professor Bonner Ritchie warped the cartography of my mind during a masters program in organizational change, as did books by Chaim Potok and Herbert Simon.
1983-1989
Completed a PhD on conflicting loyalties (sparked by a debate about how to wash socks). Discovered Mary Parker Follett whose ideas continue to frame how I see the world.
1987-1991
Colleague Lee Sailer and I dove deep into Mandelbrot’s chaos theory and its implications for social science. Still trying to discern and navigate the chaotic domain in everyday life.
1991
As a family we put cross-cultural research into practice with a Fulbright Fellowship to the Turku School of Economics during a cold Finnish winter with warm-hearted Finns.
1991-1992
Taught my first course on leading change to MBAs and launched a ten-year research project on navigating transitions with colleague and friend, Stewart Black.
1992-1994
Trekked to Aalto University for three-week MBA teaching stints and explored Estonia shortly after the restoration of its independence. A truly eye-opening experience.
1992-2005
Cherished the chance to teach masters students about identity and inquiry. Mary Catherine Bateson and Parker Palmer’s ideas wove their way deeply into my work.
2002-2003
My wife, Ann, started a PhD program in counseling psychology and nine months later passed away from cancer. Our world turned completely upside down as a family.
2003
Serendipity shone a bright light in a dark tunnel when Suzi Lee showed up in my life. We fell in love, married, and began a blended-family adventure with 7 children.
2003
Instantly and joyfully inherited two beautiful grandchildren! We now have eleven influencing our lives for good. Living in thanksgiving daily.
2005-2006
England pulled Suzi and me back to where our ancestors emigrated from. I taught global leadership to an amazing set of MBAs and Suzi continued her creative work as an artist.
2006-2011
Moved to Achères-la-Forêt and jumped to a professor of practice track, teaching executives at Insead in Fontainebleau and Singapore. I never walk past a pain au chocolat without eating it.
2011
Clay Christensen, Jeff Dyer, and I finished research behind The Innovator’s DNA (now in fifteen languages). Jeff and I founded the Innovator’s DNA advisory firm.
2011-2014
Relocated to Insead’s Abu Dhabi campus as a chaired professor of innovation and leadership. Discovered camel’s milk, made lifetime friends, and treasured family.
2013
Clay Christensen, Jeff Dyer, and I merged The Innovator’s Dilemma, The Innovator’s Solution, and The Innovator’s DNA into a high-impact online course: Innovator’s Accelerator.
2014
I experienced heart attack symptoms during a speech, but didn’t realize it. Gratefully, Suzi sensed something wrong right after and sure enough, two arteries were 90% blocked.
2014
Moved to New England and finished the year with family visiting from Seattle to Nairobi. We’re now at 26, including children, spouses/ partners, and grandchildren.
2014
Honored to join MIT as executive director of the MIT Leadership Center where we discovered how alumni created the world’s 9th largest economy as "challenge-driven leaders."
2015
David Breashears and I trekked to Everest Base Camp to study teams operating on the edge of uncertainty. I hit a high-altitude wall when ascending Khumbu Icefall and flew straight home right before the tragic 2015 avalanche.
2018
Questions are the Answer reflects a lifetime quest to figure out how the world’s greatest leaders deploy catalytic questions to create clarity out of chaos in a rapidly changing world.
2019
Winning the Thinkers50 Leadership Award and getting ranked #16 was most certainly a team effort. A sincere thanks to family, friends, and colleagues for sustained, substantial support!
2019
MIT helped nudge the world’s questioning capacity forward by building a six-week online course about inquiry-driven leadership with Roger Lehman, Julia Kirby, and me.
2020
Suzi combines a lifetime of creative paths into her ongoing artistic venture, with sculpting at the center. I love it when she peeks into the kiln after original works cook.
2021
MIT folded two lifetimes of research and practice – Roger Lehman’s and my own – into a new online course about navigating transitions in this age of artificial intelligence.
2022
The 4-24 Project inspires adults to set aside 4 minutes every 24 hours (totaling one full day each year) to ask better questions. It’s our collective gift of inquiry to the next generation.
2023
In 1973 I fell in love with photography. In 2013 I was lucky enough to cross paths with Sam Abell. In 2023 I applied the creative power of photography to the wicked challenges of leadership. What a wonder-full journey.
2023
Ed Catmull, co-founder of Pixar, and I grew up eight blocks from each other. Eight years ago, we met each other for the first time at Lucasfilm headquarters. Since then, we’ve explored the mindsets & skillsets required for embracing the unexpected. Our search continues.