A friend has a go-to question for a conversation starter, particularly among business colleagues:
What’s a business you admire?
He runs Frontend Masters and without blowing smoke, I’d put that on the list. They run a good ship over there. Let’s see what else. I’m a Kwik Trip guy for sure. I hate to make you yawn, but I’m gonna say Apple, too, I think there is a lot to admire there. I feel like I’m critical of them fairly often, but it’s because they loom so large in my life and I’m a fan. I like a good tiny-team tech company that makes something I enjoy using ā like Feedbin. I admire some businesses local to me, naturally. The Craft CMS gang does things right. My friends Amy and Stephen run Barrio in Bend and do a great job running their growing collection of food-related businesses. I’m sure if I had a harder think I could come up with a longer list. But mostly, I just like it when the business both does a great job, isn’t run by greedy assholes, and doesn’t tolerate bullshit.
Anyway, it’s a good question isn’t it? Makes ya think. Feel free to share yours.
Speaking of good questions that inspire good conversation, perhaps the most famous are The 36 Questions That Lead to Love. I’ve heard them named like “… to get to know someone” too because they don’t have to be about romantic connection, they are just good deep questions to get you going. I’ll pick out my favorites:
2. Would you like to be famous? In what way?
12. If you could wake up tomorrow having gained any one quality or ability, what would it be?
16. What do you value most in a friendship?
32. What, if anything, is too serious to be joked about?
34. Your house, containing everything you own, catches fire. After saving your loved ones and pets, you have time to safely make a final dash to save any one item. What would it be? Why?