Smart women in business know that asking the right questions is, at times, more important than having the right answers. Why?

Because having the ability to question everything in your business and take the time to look at each area separately and without bias, provides one the opportunity to truly think out-of-the-box.

You ask, "What do you mean by "thinking out-of-the-box?" Out-of-the-box" is an expression often used to describe nonconformal, creative thinking. According to Tech Target "the term is said to derive from a famous puzzle created by early 20th century British mathematician Henry Ernest Dudeney, in which someone is asked to interconnect nine dots in a three-by-three grid by using four straight lines drawn without the pencil leaving the paper. In order to be successful, the puzzle solver has to realize that the boundries of the dot array are psychological. The only way to solve the puzzle is to extend the lines beyond the artificial boundry created by the nine dots."

So, why is out-of-the-box thinking so important for women in business and, especially, women entrepreneurs? Because growth can only develop when we think beyond what we see right in front of us. This creative thinking requires real risk taking on the part of the entrepreneur. Why?

(1) Because followers, generally, feel most comfortable following what they see as a clear path. For example, most employees want to come to work, be told what to do or, better yet, be shown what to do. Then, they can set out to do the job that has been described, complete it, feel satisfied with a job well done, go home to rest in order to get up and do almost the same job the next day. AND

(2) Thinking out-of-the-box means as the Star Trek mission states, " to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before." Or better said in business, seek out new opportunities to create new products and/or services, and take fresh approaches to marketing and sales to entice new customers that never could have been thought of before. AND

(3) Because there are no guarantees that thinking out-of-the-box will create success.

Now you might think that daring to go where no man (or in this case woman) has gone before is right up there with believing in the Easter Bunny or Santa Claus. But, as a business coach, I can tell you that the most innovative businesses I have worked with or been privileged to know it is the crazy ideas that boil down to pure genius.

OK - I can hear you say, "Vicki, this is all gibberish. I have a business to run. I can't spend my time thinking out-of-the-box or asking questions. I must expend all my time and energy on solving the daily problems of people (employees), product/service, and customer complaints."

Can you imagine if you took the time to meet with your staff and ask questions?

Rather than always having the answers, entrepreneurs, especially women entrepreneurs, need to allow themselves to be open to acquiring information from others.

Holding an office retreat is another great way to encouraged employee feedback. Of course, it is important that this process not be seen as an opportunity to express dissatisfaction about anything to do with the business. The purpose is all about - if you (employee) could be King (or Queen) for a day what would you do to create a new vision for the company.

Meetings such as this have been responsible for some of the greatest innovations in companies as employees have "no skin in the game" as they say, so when they offer up an implausible idea entrepreneurs are smart to internalize it and appreciate it. Employees are not likely to consider cost, timeline, extra staffing and more, all which fall under the responsibility (and pocketbook) of the CEO. But, that is exactly why employees, who are active participants in the business, are great sources for out-of-the-box thinking.

In conclusion, allow yourself time to step out of the day-to-day challenge of running your business and think about what could be. Open your mind, ask questions of and listen to your staff, and customers, regarding new ideas of what's needed in the marketplace. You'll learn that your next step may not be as big a risk as you thought ....and greater success is right around the corner.