Humble Inquiry, Second Edition

The Gentle Art of Asking Instead of Telling Building Positive Relationships and Better Organizations (The Humble Leadership Series)

By: Edgar H. Schein, Peter A. Schein

Narrated by: Sean Pratt

This worldwide bestseller offers simple guidance for building the kind of open and trusting relationships vital for tackling global systemic challenges and developing adaptive, innovative organizations - over 200,000 copies sold and translated into 17 languages!

We live, say Edgar and Peter Schein, in a culture of “tell". All too often we tell others what we think they need to know or should do. But whether we are leading or following, what matters most is we get to the truth. We have to develop a commitment to sharing vital facts and identifying faulty assumptions - it can mean the difference between success and failure. This is why we need Humble Inquiry more than ever.

The Scheins define Humble Inquiry as “the gentle art of drawing someone out, of asking questions to which you do not know the answer, of building relationships based on curiosity and interest in the other person". It was inspired by Edgar’s 20 years of work in high-hazard industries and the healthcare system, where honest communication can literally means the difference between life and death.

In this new edition the authors look at how Humble Inquiry differs from other kinds of inquiry, offer examples of it in action, and show how to overcome the barriers that keep us telling when we should be asking. This edition offers a deepening and broadening of this concept, seeing it as not just a way of posing questions but an entire attitude that includes better listening, better responding to what others are trying to tell us, and better revealing of ourselves. Packed with case examples and a full chapter of exercises and simulations, this is a major contribution to how we see human conversational dynamics and relationships, presented in a compact, personal, and eminently practical way.

©2021 Edgar H. Schein, Peter A. Schein (P)2021 Edgar H. Schein, Peter A. Schein

Good basic information

Nice introduction to situational awareness and communication. Encourages the listener to self reflect on style and consider alternatives for communication. 

Excellent content

Excellent advice, practical and worthy of many applications. The story is well read and content applies to real world situations.

Mind expanding

This book really makes you rethink and expand the way you approach people. I found this helpful both personally and professionally. It gave me many new ideas and reframed how I think about asking questions. I recommend this book to anyone who does professional coaching.

All that I can say..

This is a short and sweet book about how to speak to people. Monitoring your own emotions and tone in conversation.

Loved it!!

This was a phenomenal book to learn a lot of valuable information that is applicable to our homes, friends and careers. We read this book for one of my masters courses I am taking in educational leadership. This book is definitely going to help me perform humble inquiry even in different situations.

Smug narrator ruins the book

Smug narrator ruins the book. It was a pain to try to follow, Sean Prat just droned on and on and on. This was the dullest book I have ever listen to. Subject matter was ordinary common sense, nothing new. Wish Audible still had a return policy.