When I was a child, I had a lot of questions. Why is the sky blue? Why does the moon follow me home? Why can’t we just skip straight to dessert? The world was a vast, perplexing place, and my curiosity was relentless. Little did I know that these early interrogations were sowing the seeds for a skill that would later shape my career, guide my choices, and turn my professional life into a never-ending Q&A session (with some extra drama thrown in for good measure).

As I grew older, the questions changed but remained equally potent. What should I become when I grow up? How many professions actually exist between astronaut and movie star? Should I choose something my parents can proudly tell their friends about, or follow the dreams that made me tick (which, spoiler alert, my parents did not proudly tell their friends about)? These were the questions that began to forge my path, but without answers, I often found myself wading through uncertainty.

Fast forward to my early days in the corporate world, and the questions evolved again: Why does my colleague get promotions faster than I can finish my morning chai?, How can I make an impact when everyone’s so busy debating the correct format for an email signature?, and, of course, Is there a universally flattering colour for presentation slides? The questions came in waves, threatening to drown me in a sea of self-doubt and confusion. And here was the kicker: I had no idea whom to ask.

The Turning Point: Mentors, Coaches, and The Magic of Transformational Leadership

Enter mentors and coaches, stage left. These were the wise Yodas of my corporate galaxy, and like any good Yoda, they didn’t give me straight answers. No, they had a penchant for turning my queries back at me with an eyebrow-raising, “What do you think?” At first, I was irritated. I came here for answers, not more homework. But slowly, I realized that these powerful questions were pushing me to find my own truths. This, I learned, was the heart of transformational leadership.

Transformational leadership isn’t about leading a group of people down a predetermined path, clutching a checklist as though life were a trip to the grocery store. It’s about empowering others to ask, “Why am I doing this, and how can I make it better?” It’s about creating an environment where inquiry isn’t just allowed but celebrated like it’s the office Diwali party—lights, snacks, and all.

Studies from Harvard Business Review have shown that leaders who encourage questioning and curiosity foster innovation and resilience. In fact, organizations that cultivate a culture of inquiry can see a 21% boost in performance and a 22% increase in employee satisfaction. If these statistics don’t convince you to sharpen your questioning skills, then consider this: 98% of children ask over 300 questions a day. By adulthood, that number drops to near zero. Think about it. Somewhere between learning to tie our shoelaces and presenting our first Excel sheet, we stopped asking why.

“Organizations that cultivate a culture of inquiry can see a 21% boost in performance and a 22% increase in employee satisfaction.”

Why Asking Questions Transforms More Than Just Meetings

The ability to ask powerful questions is like having a Swiss Army knife for problem-solving. It’s versatile, compact, and impresses everyone when you whip it out. Transformational leaders know that while answers can end a conversation, questions open up new paths. Questions help us challenge assumptions, break down barriers, and—let’s be honest—sometimes create a moment of awkward silence that makes everyone shuffle in their seats. (If you’ve never asked a question that made a room full of MBAs scratch their heads, have you even led a meeting?)

When I began to ask questions not just to find out “what” but to explore “why” and “how,” everything changed. The universe (or at least my email inbox) responded with opportunities. Asking the right questions led to better ideas, stronger team cohesion, and an uncanny ability to sound smart at meetings where I had only read the subject line of the agenda.

But here’s the thing: to ask great questions, you must first feel safe enough to be seen as someone who doesn’t know everything. That’s where transformational leadership steps in. The best leaders I’ve worked with (and the ones I aspire to emulate) are those who say, “I don’t have all the answers, but I have all the questions we need to find them.”

From Confused Corporate Rookie to the Launch of #HRBytes

Over the years, I collected questions like some people collect stamps. Only, instead of rare prints, my collection included gems like, “How do we handle workplace politics without needing a manual thicker than ‘War and Peace’?” and, “Is it true that bad ideas just need the right leader to turn them into million-dollar products, or is that just a TED Talk myth?” And slowly, after bouncing my questions off the patient, sometimes exasperated, mentors I was lucky to find, I realized it was time to give back.

This is where #HRBytes with Sahil Nayar comes in—a new monthly Q&A feature where the only stupid question is the one you don’t ask. Whether you’re a wide-eyed newcomer wondering if you should bring your own coffee mug to the office or a seasoned HR pro grappling with the finer nuances of digital detox policies, #HRBytes is where your questions will find a home. A personal home, my home with my responses in my personal capacity.

In a world where it’s easier to assume than to ask (and where every uncle at a wedding has career advice that’s more confusing than your boss’s annual review), I invite you to take the bold step of asking. Remember, the world’s greatest innovations started with simple questions. What if we could fly? led to airplanes. Why does bread taste so boring? gave us avocado toast.

The Road Ahead: #HRBytes Is Here for You

#HRBytes will be a place where humor, candor, and insight collide like an overenthusiastic team-building activity. I’ll share my experiences, stories from my mentors, and hopefully provide answers that don’t sound like they were spat out by an AI with a penchant for HR jargon. Whether it’s discussing how to deal with feedback that stings like a wasp or navigating tricky coworker dynamics without needing a survival guide, #HRBytes will be your monthly dose of answers infused with a generous helping of wit, sarcasm, and empathy.

So, send me your questions. Fire away with the doubts that make you pause during meetings or the HR mysteries that keep you up at night. And I promise, no matter how bizarre or complex, I’ll give it my best shot (and possibly a few jokes along the way).

The Final Word: Don’t Assume, Just Ask

Let’s circle back to that childhood habit of asking questions—something most adults have buried under layers of corporate speak and PowerPoint slides. If there’s one thing I hope you take from this, it’s that transformational leadership doesn’t start with answers; it starts with questions. So let’s revive that long-lost art of inquiry. Because in a world that’s constantly changing, only those who keep asking will stay ahead.

Join me in making #HRBytes a success. Let’s build a community where curiosity isn’t punished but rewarded, where asking a question doesn’t mean you’re behind but means you’re ready to lead. Because if life has taught me anything, it’s this:

“If you don’t ask, the only answer you’ll ever get is “no.”