Ask More: The Power of Questions to Open Doors, Uncover Solutions, and Spark Change

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I launched this project inspired by questions asked over a lifetime. Navigating the daunting challenges of writing a book, buffeted by the gusts of life and work, proved more difficult and more rewarding than I imagined. The project never would have made it out of my head had it not been for the help and encouragement of some of the most committed and creative people on the planet. First of all, my wife, Kathy, who believed in me and the book in ways that can only be called incredible. Whether it was the first question in the morning or the last word at night, she encouraged me as ideas evolved from concepts to chapters. She read with a dispassionate eye and edited with a steady hand. She made every page better.

The direction, counsel, and support of my agent, Steve Ross, helped launch the project and keep me focused. Steve offered insight and guidance that refined my thoughts and sharpened my approach. He navigated me through a sea I’d never sailed, always with a clear and confident eye.

My editor Ellen Kadin at AMACOM was a delight to work with. Her edits were precise. She challenged me, always in good ways, to write cleanly and clearly. She reassured me as I tilted at the calendar windmills and offered understanding when I needed more time.

Seth Schulman helped me develop an arc and a conceptual approach. Jay Heinrichs parsed my words and told me when a chapter worked or, even better, when it did not.

The students in my Art of the Interview class convinced me there was a book here through their discoveries driven by their questions. The students who helped me with research, fact-checking, and editing were phenomenal. Nicholas Galbraith, Kristi Arbogast, Kate McCormick, you are amazing. Farida Fawzy, you will discover the world. Brent Merritt, thank you for your thoroughness, enthusiasm, and energy. You added horsepower to this project.

I owe my colleagues at The George Washington University and the School of Media and Public Affairs a debt of gratitude. They showed how an elegantly crafted question can blossom from research to revelation. My special thanks go to the infinitely committed Kim Gross, who bore the brunt of my fractured attention span as book deadlines loomed, and to the esteemed Robert Entman, whose research was a beacon and whose advice was invaluable.

I built this book around people who ask questions uncommonly well. Many of their stories made it into the text. Inevitably, some did not, though every conversation informed my writing. I wish I could have included everything. To all, I am deeply grateful. Your experience and your stories illuminated the ideas I was trying to convey. To Whit Ayers, Ed Bernero, Debbie Bial, Jim Buizer, Eve Burton, Dylan Byers, Jean Case, Adrienne Clair, Anderson Cooper, Al Darby, Jim Davis, Ken Doka, John Durham, Robert Entman, Tony Fauci, Nina Federoff, Gary Fink, Teresa Gardner, Terry Gross, Dave Isay, Rick Leach, Catherine Lee, Steve Miller, Gavin Newsom, Sandra Day O’Connor, Ted Olson, Diana Oreck, Karen Osborne, Colin Powell, Betty Pristera, Pradeep Ramamurthy, Jorge Ramos, Diane Rehm, Helen Riess, David Sanger, Bob Schieffer, Ed Scott, Jagadish Shukla, Barry Spodak, Shelly Storbeck, Sydney Trattner, Kevin Winston, Howard Zucker—thank you all for sharing your questions and your curiosity. The world is a much better place because you asked.

A personal thanks to Barbara Bradley Hagerty, who offered her experience as a journalist-author and insisted I could do this. Anne Rodgers kept the torch burning and helped light the way. Denise Schlener shared stories that showed how good questions cement good relationships. Chris Schroeder opened his home and hosted a remarkable dinner party that became a chapter in the book.

I am so deeply grateful to the place that gave me the opportunity to ask more questions and dig into more stories about the human condition than I ever could have imagined. I grew as a journalist as CNN grew from a cable experiment to a global presence. It was revolutionary then and it still is. Ted Turner, thank you on behalf of the planet for your vision and your guts. It wasn’t easy. And to my friend Rick Davis, I will never be able to properly convey my appreciation for your undying guidance, friendship, and superb judgment in the years we worked together. You always had a better way to frame a question in search of a clear answer. Wolf Blitzer, you are a one-of-a-kind champion of journalism and accountability. I hope CNN never relinquishes its mission to inform and engage and take people to unexpected places where they meet new people, encounter new ideas, and consider new horizons.

Finally, I want to thank my children, Matt, Chris, and Emily, daughter-in-law Emily, and my sisters Lora and Julie. You are my points on the compass. You are gifts to the future. Stay curious.