![\"tree\"](\"https:\/\/berkonomics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/tree-300x259.jpg\")
weighed cost against benefit, having a difficult time deciding whether to say \u2018yes.\u2019<\/p>\nA friend recently told me a story that had nothing to do with business, but unintentionally had a great lesson for all of us.\u00a0 He had asked his arborist if he could move a mature tree from one part of his property to another \u2013 to make room for an addition to his home.\u00a0 \u201cYes,\u201d replied the professional.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cAnd how much would it cost?\u201d\u00a0 To which the arborist responded, \u201cWe\u2019d charge $18,000 for that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Surprised by the high cost of simply moving a tree several hundred feet, the friend weighed cost against benefit, having a difficult time deciding whether to say \u2018yes.\u2019<\/p>\n
As an afterthought, he asked, about how many years does this old tree have to live?\u00a0 And the surprising answer from the arborist was \u201cI\u2019d say, about two to five years before it dies.\u201d<\/p>\n
That incidental afterthought of a question clarified the decision, and certainly saved money and later unhappiness.\u00a0 And it points out to all of us that asking the right questions may be more important than having the right amount of knowledge.\u00a0 Our friend could have been an architect attempting to protect the look of the homeowner\u2019s property or view from a window.\u00a0 He would have known the positive visual effect of relocating that tree would have created.\u00a0\u00a0 But he might never have known the consequence of that knowledge if never asking the critical question about the life of the tree.<\/p>\n
Are we guilty of knowing so much but not asking the critical questions that might undermine our limited knowledge?\u00a0 It is more than curiosity at work when solutions become much clearer when we have the skill and motivation to ask the right questions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A friend recently told me a story that had nothing to do with business, but unintentionally had a great lesson for all of us.\u00a0 He had asked his arborist if he could move a mature tree from one part of … Continue reading