ABQ: Always Be Questioning

You ask really good questions? They all said you did. But wow! In person, quite impressive! – Hiring Manager, 1998

“ABQ. A, Always, B, Be, Q, Questioning” is a good mantra to have in one’s Product Management mind. It has served me well in my 25+ year career.

But of course, that’s just a play on the great scene from Glengarry Glen Ross, in which Alec Baldwin’s character gives an unforgettably despairing and electrifying speech to a group of real-estate salesmen. “ABC. A, Always, B, Be, C, Closing. Always be closing. Always be closing.”

For me, in Product Management, the “Q, Questioning” has been critical to identifying problems and opportunities. One probes, explores, challenges and even interrogates with questions. Answers, or even non-answers, influence our thinking and, of course, our roadmaps.

Today, I use “ABQ”, even without AI! Sure, tools like ChatGPT and Claude can help me formulate questions. However, leaning on the seminal questions of the “5 Ws and H” (Who, What, When, Where, Why, How) has been most productive. The PM world likes to dream up and promulgate frameworks; sometimes, the basics of our lives can be even better.

I like to think that I continue to ask questions. I encourage you to do likewise, in the nicest, humblest manner possible. Think of “ABQ” as you approach new problem spaces, new customers and new markets. Perhaps then the people selling your products can also “always be closing.”