Oct 23, 2017
Will Wise is a professional question-asker!
As Chief Weologist at We!, Will and his business partner Chad Littlefield help connect people to people and people to ideas. His newly released book, Ask Powerful Questions, is for any leader who is ready for change. At the heart of it all is the importance of establishing trust and cultivating authentic connection.
In his role at World In Conversation, in the Center for Public Diplomacy at Penn State University, he trains people—from undergrad students to NATO soldiers—to have meaningful conversations that transform how they see the world.
After college, Will joined the Peace Corps and he credits his international experiences with helping him let go of how he sees the world and learning to embrace the other. The themes of exploration, connection and trust permeate both his personal and professional life.
These days Will lives in Central Pennsylvania with his wife and 3 young children and he strives to model curiosity and assumption-questioning. In this episode he shares the many ways he does this, the challenges, and the rewards of approaching life this way.
Key Takeaways:
- Will’s time in the Peace Corps taught him to think differently and approach life in a non-traditional, creative way
- Explore making your own job and creating something new within the job you have
- The power of questioning assumptions with clear intentions
- Will’s work with the Center for Public Diplomacy embraces the power of meaningful conversations.
- Will and Chad created We! to help people move from a ‘me’ mindset to a ‘we’ mindset.
- How Will is honing in on his priorities while balancing two jobs, a book launch and a family
- Choosing to be a learner not an advocate, and curious instead of combative.
- How to teach your children (and others) to ask "how" and "what" rather than "why"
- Explaining the Confederate flag to curious children
- Choosing to be a learner not an advocate, and curious instead of combative.
Links:
Ask Powerful
Questions by Will Wise
This is What Perfect Looks Like by Heather H. House
The Four Agreements by Miguel Ruiz
Grange Fair in Central Pennsylvania
The Bread Sister of Sinking Creek by Robin Moore