The power of inquiry

It is late evening on an icy wintery January weekend  at Toronto's Pearson International terminal 1, and a crowd is building up to board a jumbo 747 en route to Frankfurt. The boarding area is packed with the elderly, children, vacationers, and road warriors, eagerly waiting to be on their way.

The jumbo is delayed by an hour, and the weary travellers grow impatient. Children squat over the floor, some run around, while others test the patience of their parents. Weariness permeates the air - one whiff, and your shoulders droop, you slump back into your chair, the energy draining out from your feet.

A family of five - parents with two young children and a little baby walk in. The baby is about a year old, and the two sibling brothers, tired and exhausted from a long day, about 5 and 7. The children drop on the floor, grumpy and tired. The parents are just as tired. They take turns going to the rest room, and while the mum is away with the baby, the father tries to keep his two little ones from having a meltdown.

Toronto's terminal 1, renovated and re opened in 2004 was developed by Skidmore, Owings, and Merill(SOM), who have led the design of many famous architectural landmarks, including the sears tower, the Bhurj Khailfa, and pioneered the widespread use of the "glass box" skyscraper. Terminal 1, in similar vein,  displays a bold, curvilinear form with large spaces and long, arched roof spans.



As the father tries to engage his two little ones, he invites them to explore the intricacies of the terminal, simultaneously heightening their attention to detail, sparking their imagination, and querying their creativity.

"Look at this terminal, wow isn't it beautiful, someone built it, how do you think they came up with the idea to build it like this? How did they even know where to put the beams, and the glass - why do you think they chose glass? look at the roof and the way it curves down.  Doesn't this remind you of  Guggenheim? Why do you think they built it this way?

The family had previously been to The Guggenheim Bilbao. The museum is an architectural marvel, designed by Frank Ghery. The structure is famous for its use of random curves - designed to catch the light, and extensive use of glass.


Recorre from Museo Guggenheim Bilbao on Vimeo.

There may not be much similarity between a departure gate in terminal 1 and an architectural landmark like Guggenheim, but the father creates linkages between elements in the terminal, and an inspiring experience the children previously had. He is working their imagination, and the children begin to come alive.  The weary look gives way to curiosity. "They have a lot of people here just like in the Museum"' they try to explain. The creative instinct sparkles through their eyes. The transformation is profound. Every question, every detail commands their attention, and their imagination strives to understand and explain what they see. Soon they are deeply engrossed in dialogue with their father. "They should have had more sitting area for such a big place", chimes in the elder one bringing his present need into his exploration.

What this father did with his children demonstrates perfectly the power of a inquiry. A good inquiry focusses the mind, takes us to our most resourceful, creative self, and brings us into the present. The children have forgotten their fatigue, their distractions. They are engrossed in the father's questions, they see every little detail, absorb their surrounding intricacies. and attempt to make meaning of it all.

Marcel Proust, the French novelist once said that the real act of discovery consists not in finding new lands, but in seeing with new eyes. A well directed inquiry does just that - it  opens us to possibility and affords us the opportunity to see with new eyes. And in a world increasingly prone to distractions, multitasking, and spectatorship, inquiries are a powerful tool to foster focus, curiosity and enthusiasm, and instill a sense of purpose - individually or within a group.

In the book, Launch, the author Scott Duffy describes a conversation with Richard Branson during "the Gathering" - an event where Virgin's global leadership team gathers to share and exchange information and grow from each others experiences. At one point during the event, there is a passionate discussion about buying the rainforest ("The Amazon"). Richard Branson, who has demonstrated a dedication to environmental protection, argues for the positive impact it could have - stopping the slashing and burning of vegetation, and saving precious animals. The conversation heats up, and despite the many benefits, someone finally summons up the courage to say what many have been thinking, "you could never buy the rainforest".

Branson views it as an obstacle in the way of possibility. He cleverly switches to inquiry to help his team move to their most resourceful and creative self to find a way - "first of all, imagine you wanted to buy the rainforest. How would you do it?" followed by a series of questions to help focus their attention, and build on their creativity to overcome obstacles. Do we have to buy it? What if we could lease it? How many people do we know with significant wealth who would get behind the cause and contribute? Better yet, how many people in this world would rally behind the cause? His probes inspire a deeper belief and greater confidence that it could actually be done. And with that there is a profound shift in perspective. Creative ideas flow and within 5 minutes everyone seems to find buying the rainforest as easy as eating a bowl of soup.

What Branson's inquiries created was the blueprint for crowd sourced environmental protection, an idea similar to what was tried later in Ecuador to protect the Yasuni park rainforest.

So, the next time you find yourself at a cross road, fatigued by the task at hand, and not seeing a way out, an inquiry may be just what you need to muster your most resourceful self, and overcome the issue at hand.