Question on Your Mind? Just Ask.

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and Judy Jernudd

You’re sitting in a meeting, when the person next to you asks an important question. You thought about asking the exact same question, but you didn’t.

For instance, what question would you risk asking if you were sitting in the audience with about four hundred strangers listening to keynote speaker, Jeff Bezos, the Amazon.com chief? He was wrapping up his talk about the virtues of Amazon and demonstrating the Kindle wireless reader. While Mr. Bezos raved about the benefits of the product people in the audience, including me, started thinking it would be cool to own one.

As Mr. Bezos was about to leave the stage, without hesitation, a woman in the audience stood up and asked, “Are you going to auction off a Kindle before you leave?” It was clear Mr. Bezos hadn’t been asked the question before, but he acknowledged it would have been a good idea. In a flash, he demonstrated some on-the-spot decision making. He held up the Kindle and said, “Since you asked the question, it’s yours.” Wow! She asked and she received! Talk about immediate gratification.

Mr. Bezos invited the woman on stage to give her the $359.00 Kindle. About twenty photographers started snapping her pix as she stood on stage with Jeff Bezos, her gift in hand, smiling in a sea of flashbulbs. She went from being one of many in the audience to a stand-out on stage…with a new Kindle! Those of us in the audience applauded her highlight moment, although you could hear many moans of…”Oh! Gee, why didn’t I ask that question?”

GOLD STAR ACTION: Your goal might not be about receiving a free Kindle or standing on stage with a billionaire, but the next time you’re in a situation with a question on your mind, just ask. What do you have to lose? It might be your highlight moment.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.