In an Era of Instant Answers — Great CXOs Must Compete on Questions
- uzmakrauf
- May 20
- 7 min read
Updated: May 28
AI can now retrieve nearly any fact in seconds.
That means the biggest strategic advantage no longer comes from just knowing the answer — but from framing the right question.
Every question will get you an answer — but the wrong ones will lead you astray.
Leaders must deliberately pause and ask:
“Are we asking the kinds of questions that truly surface blind spots, unlock better ideas, and move our business forward?”
Because the questions that sink initiatives are often the ones never asked.
And these questions seldom arise spontaneously — they require conscious prompting.
In this blog we discuss five question types used as part of a strategic questioning approach by high-performing CXOs, leveraging a powerful framework featured in the Harvard Business Review.
The Multimillion-Dollar Cost of Unasked Questions
When organizations fail to interrogate their assumptions, the consequences can be dire:
Apple’s “Crush” ad backlash. The 2024 iPad Pro spot showing art tools pulverised in a hydraulic press angered creatives worldwide — evidence that no one asked, “How will artists feel watching their craft destroyed?” Campaign Asia
Bud Light Backlash – Marketers launched a culture-message campaign in 2023 without asking “How will our core drinkers interpret this?” Within weeks, sales plunged 28 % and the brand lost its #1 U.S. beer spot. Forbes
Jaguar's Rebranding Misstep – The 2024 "Exuberant Modernism" campaign failed to ask: "Will our loyal customers embrace this radical shift?" The rebrand faced significant criticism for abandoning Jaguar's heritage of elegance and performance. Kittl
The Five Question-Types Every CXO Needs
Based on 3 years of in-depth analysis, HBR writers determined that questions can be grouped into five domains. Each unlocks a different aspect of the decision-making process: investigative, speculative, productive, interpretive, and subjective.
Here’s how to consider and use them:
Question type | Core purpose & scope | Why it drives better decisions |
Investigative “What’s known?” | Clarify purpose and analyze a problem in depth to get to the non-obvious. Continuously ask: Why and How? | Go beyond generic solutions with more-sophisticated alternatives
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Speculative “What if?” | Reframe the problem to consider it more broadly. Ask: What if, What else? How might we…? | Overcome limiting assumptions to explore more creative options
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Productive "Now what?” | Assess resource needs (talent, capabilities, time) against critical KPIs. Ask: How can we get it done? | Enable speed of decision making and growth with clear owners and resources
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Interpretive “So what?” | Continually redefine the core issue. Ask: What is this problem really about? How is it useful? | Probe beneath the surface with "sense-making" questions
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Subjective “What’s unsaid?” | Surface emotions & values of consumers, shoppers, and employees. Ask how do we feel?” | Understand the often-skipped human, emotional elements that drive failure or success.
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(Adapted from HBR framework.)
Challenge is, most business leaders predominantly lean into the types of questions they have always asked, thereby missing potential risks and opportunities.
It’s rarely due to poor intent.
Most business professionals simply have no formal training in systematic inquiry — unlike doctors or engineers — so our probing tends to be incomplete.
The Payoff of Comprehensive Questioning
While missed questions can cost millions, the inverse is equally true.
Brands that deliberately ask across all five domains — especially early in the decision process — often surface insight others miss and act faster with greater confidence.
“I probably give fewer answers, and I ask a lot more questions… Through probing, I help my management team explore ideas they didn’t realize needed to be explored.”
— Jensen Huang, Cofounder & CEO, Nvidia (The New York Times)
Below examples demonstrate how deeper, more comprehensive questioning helped these brands outperform.
Question Domain | e.l.f. Beauty | Nintendo Switch | Dyson Airwrap | Barbie Movie |
|  |  |  |  |
Investigative | Mined TikTok data showing Gen Z craves prestige-quality “dupes” under $15 | Researched why core gamers also play on phones | Built 230 + prototypes on global hair types | Analyzed decades of fan data and social chatter |
Speculative | “What if we launch in 13 weeks, not 18 months?” | “What if one device moves from couch to commute?” | “What if airflow —not heat—could curl?” | “What if a self-aware comedy could turn critics into fans?” |
Productive | Agile “pod” teams owned concept-to-commerce | Used standard Nvidia Tegra chip to stay < $300 | Modular barrels that swap airflow direction | Activated 100 + brand collaborations to paint the world pink |
Interpretive | Reframed cheap as smart value | Positioned as play anywhere, with anyone | Framed $550 price as salon-quality results at home | Shifted Barbie from perfection doll to empowerment icon |
Subjective | Playful, inclusive tone resonated with Gen Z | Joy-Con sharing taps social fun | Tackled heat-damage anxiety for all hair types | Nostalgia + tongue-in-cheek humor triggered emotional buy-in |
Result | Net sales +77 % to $1 B; stock +89 % YoY | 150 M + units sold—3rd best-selling console ever | Global box office $1.4 B; brand buzz 5-year high (AP News) |
Quick Self-Diagnostic for You:
Audit your last three decisions against the Five-Domains framework and identify which domains you overlooked.
You'll find patterns quickly emerge — most teams over-index on productive ("Now what?") questions while neglecting speculative and subjective ones.
Strategic Questioning Examples for Consumer Goods Teams
Smarter decisions start with comprehensive questioning. Below are examples of simple, practical prompts across the five question types for Consumer Goods teams to review.
Question Type | Illustrative Strategic Question | Use-Case |
Investigative “What’s true?” | “Which customer segments have grown fastest over the last 12 months yet receive the least attention in our plans?” | Re-allocate growth investments to overlooked segments. |
| “Which products generate the highest brand engagement and repeat purchase—versus one-time trials?” | Optimize portfolio support, messaging, and shelf space. |
| “Which competitors are gaining the most online share, and which tactics fuel that growth?” | Benchmark e-commerce playbooks; adjust channel mix or price positioning. |
Speculative “What if…?” | What if a key sales channel or retailer disappeared tomorrow? | Build contingency plans and resilience. |
What if current import tariffs stay in place for 24 months—how would that reshape our margin and price architecture? | Build pricing & sourcing scenarios before annual plan locks. | |
What if our next product launch doubles demand overnight? | Stress-test operations and supply chain capacity. | |
Productive “Now what?” | Which two high-impact actions at each consumer touchpoint will lift engagement this quarter? | Prioritize quick-win pilots; assign owners and timelines. |
If our marketing budget were cut by 50%, how would we redesign the plan? | Force prioritization and agile re-allocation. | |
Who needs to be involved to move this idea forward, and by when? | Align roles, timing, and accountability. | |
Interpretive “So what?” | Why do some buyers love our brand while others hesitate to recommend it? | Improve emotional resonance and brand storytelling. |
Why aren’t recent lifts in brand awareness converting into higher consideration or repeat purchase? | Diagnose message-market gap; refine upper-funnel KPIs. | |
Which trade-offs are shoppers making that our current metrics don’t capture? | Uncover hidden drivers (price, pack size, trust, convenience) to refine segmentation. | |
Subjective “How do we feel?” | What fears or hopes do our customers bring into the purchase decision? | Shape messaging and customer-experience design. |
With consumer sentiment dipping, which emotion — reassurance, escapism, or value-savvy — will resonate most with each key segment? | Adjust creative tone and offers to match mood. | |
How does our team feel about the direction we’re headed? | Diagnose internal alignment or morale risk. |
Tip: When developing your own questions, start each with the right stem:
Investigative → Which… / What is… / Where are…
Speculative → What if… / How might…
Productive → Who will… / How can… / When do we…
Interpretive → Why does… / So what…
Subjective → How do we feel… / What fears… / Which emotion…
Why This Matters Right Now for Consumer Goods Leaders:
Three macro shifts make smarter questioning more essential than ever:
Volatile conditions — With inflation, tariffs, and geo-political shocks reshaping costs and supply, strategic planning needs scenario-thinking — not just dashboards.
Omnichannel acceleration — Consumers move seamlessly across digital and physical touchpoints. Without probing for new behaviors and unmet needs, brands risk missing where loyalty is won (or lost).
Emotional loyalty economics — Emotional connection is now the top driver of brand preference. Research shows emotionally connected customers deliver 306 % higher lifetime value (Motista). People buy on emotion and justify with logic.
In a world this complex and fast-moving, the real differentiator isn’t speed — it’s clarity of thought.
In Summary:
AI has flattened the knowledge hierarchy.
When facts are instantly accessible, the real advantage comes from the quality of questioning — uncovering the insights, opportunities, and risks that others miss entirely.
The most successful business leaders have built the discipline to pause, challenge assumptions, and explore multiple angles before committing resources. They’ve built questioning protocols into innovation, strategy reviews, and risk assessments.
When answers are abundant, the advantage goes to those who ask with depth, direction, and discipline.
Let’s Talk:
At Khatanalytics, we help executive teams frame smarter questions that uncover what truly drives purchase, loyalty, and ROI.
Our proprietary Consumer Experience Journey (CEJ) framework guides teams to ask the right questions to surface transformative insights — then turn them into clear, actionable decisions.
The business environment is rapidly changing. If you're ready to explore smarter questioning inside your organization, we’ll help you uncover blind spots, challenge assumptions, and activate better decisions.
📩 Contact us at info@khatanalytics.com to schedule your (free) Strategic Inquiry Session.
"The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing."
Albert Einstein
Further Reading
Wharton – Decision-driven analytics starts by framing the right question, not chasing the data. Wharton Executive Education.
Forbes – “Co-creation through questions” accelerates team buy-in and creativity. Forbes.
Economic Times – AI-savvy leaders blend human inquiry with data simulation to outperform peers. @EconomicTimes.
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