# Liberating Questions and Answers By:: [[Brian Heath]] 2022-11-03 Sometimes leaders will come to analysts with questions with the intent for the analyst to find answers. Other times leaders will come to analysts with answers phrased as a question. Here the leader has already made up their mind and is looking for confirmation. Obviously, confirmation bias is an issue here, but how should analysts respond to such situations? If the analyst's role is to support deeper thinking and better decision-making, one could challenge the premise of the leader's question as ill-formed in pursuit of truth. However, this is a tricky proposition. An outright open challenge to authority when the leader has already made the decision could be fatal to one's job. Bringing back a ton of evidence "proving" the leader wrong is often seen as elitist and uninformed about the real problems of business. Only providing answers that confirm the leader's position may trade short-term [[success]] for long-term organizational failure. These are just a few of the many options. The key to determining the best course of action is only partly related to the actual problem and your belief about the right solution. In fact, the problem may be the least important factor. Evidence rarely changes belief systems. The most important factor is your relationship and understanding of the organization and the leader. Good, trusting relationships provide avenues for belief change. Understanding psychology, philosophy, and organizational behaviors create room for self-awareness, empathy, and self-actualization. [[Questions and answers]] are not about finding the truth, they are about making progress. Embracing this liberates the analyst from only viewing the world in extremes and enables them to be [[Pragmatic]] in action and beliefs. #### Related Items [[Analytics]] [[Questions]] [[Answers]] [[Progress]] [[Beliefs]] [[Truth]] [[Self-Actualization]] [[Management]]