The question playbook
The questions I ask.
Every guest gets the same core questions. Here they are, with what I am looking for in each answer and how it becomes a lesson you can use.
How I ask
Five rules behind every question.
- 1
One question at a time
Short, clear and complete on its own, so anyone can follow.
- 2
A moment, not an opinion
I ask what happened, not what they think in general. Stories teach; opinions rarely do.
- 3
Feelings first, then facts
Fear, doubt and pride open the door. The steps and numbers come after.
- 4
Stay with the silence
The deepest answer often comes after a pause, so I wait.
- 5
Always end with a step
Every conversation ends with something a viewer can do this week.
Signature questions
Asked in every episode.
- 01The turning point Signature
“What is one decision that changed the direction of your life, and why did you make it?”
If the answer stays vague: “What did you give up to make that choice?”
- What I'm looking for
- One real moment and the reason behind it.
- What it teaches
- How to make a big decision without all the answers.
- 02Courage Signature
“What is something you did even though you were afraid, and what helped you do it anyway?”
If the answer stays vague: “What would have happened if you had waited?”
- What I'm looking for
- What the fear felt like and what moved them past it.
- What it teaches
- How to act before you feel ready.
- 03Failure Signature
“What is the most painful failure of your life, and what did it teach you?”
If the answer stays vague: “What did you do differently after it?”
- What I'm looking for
- An honest failure and the lesson they still carry.
- What it teaches
- How to turn a failure into a lesson instead of a wound.
- 04The price Signature
“What has your success cost you that people do not see?”
If the answer stays vague: “Would you pay that price again?”
- What I'm looking for
- The hidden cost: time, health, family, peace.
- What it teaches
- What success really costs, so you can choose it with open eyes.
- 05The first step Signature
“If a young person in Bangladesh wants a life like yours, what should they start doing this week?”
If the answer stays vague: “And what should they stop doing?”
- What I'm looking for
- One small, specific action.
- What it teaches
- The first move, so watching turns into doing.
The full bank
Six steps, every conversation.
01Your story
Who are you when you are not working?
What I'm looking for: The person behind the title.
What did your younger self dream of becoming, and how close are you today?
What I'm looking for: The gap between the dream and the path.
Which problem in the world do you care about most?
What I'm looking for: What drives the work.
02The decision
What is one decision that changed the direction of your life, and why did you make it?
What I'm looking for: One real moment and the reason behind it.
How do you make a decision when every option feels risky?
What I'm looking for: Their method for hard choices.
What is a decision you are glad you did not make?
What I'm looking for: The value of saying no.
03The dig
What is something you did even though you were afraid, and what helped you do it anyway?
What I'm looking for: What the fear felt like and what moved them past it.
Whose advice changed your life, and whose advice did you learn to ignore?
What I'm looking for: How they filter advice.
What do you know now that you wish you had known ten years ago?
What I'm looking for: Hard-won knowledge.
04What failed
What is the most painful failure of your life, and what did it teach you?
What I'm looking for: An honest failure and the lesson they still carry.
When did you almost give up, and what kept you going?
What I'm looking for: What held them up.
How do you treat yourself on the days you fail?
What I'm looking for: Their inner voice.
05What it took
What has your success cost you that people do not see?
What I'm looking for: The hidden cost: time, health, family, peace.
What does an ordinary day in your life actually look like?
What I'm looking for: The habits behind the results.
Which single habit has given you the most in life?
What I'm looking for: The habit with the biggest return.
06The lesson
If a young person in Bangladesh wants a life like yours, what should they start doing this week?
What I'm looking for: One small, specific action.
What is the most important truth life has taught you?
What I'm looking for: Wisdom in one sentence.
What question do you wish more people would ask you?
What I'm looking for: What we missed.
By category
Questions for each world.
- 01Business & Leadership
- How do you turn a plan on paper into something people actually do?
- What did you have to stop doing so your organisation could grow?
- How can you tell, early on, that someone will be great at their job?
- 02Startups & Founders
- How do you know an idea is worth years of your life?
- How did you find the first people willing to pay you?
- How do you know when to quit an idea and when to push harder?
- 03Tech & AI
- How do you decide what to leave out so you can finish on time?
- How do you know when something is good enough to release?
- How is AI changing the way you and your team work?
- 04Career & Money
- What is one career move that changed everything for you?
- Which skill has paid you back the most, and how did you learn it?
- How do you ask for what you are worth?
- 05Mindset, Relationships & Life
- What do you do on the days you have no motivation at all?
- How do you protect your mind from noise and comparison?
- What helps you stay calm before a big moment?
- 06Science & Society
- What is one problem in Bangladesh you would fix first, and why?
- Who has the power to change Bangladesh fastest?
- What can one ordinary person do this year to make the country better?
More questions
Go deeper when the guest opens up.
Ideas from the best long-form conversations, written for our guests and our country. Pick what fits the guest.
01Where it started
- What did your childhood teach you about money and hard work?
- Who in your family shaped the person you are today?
- What would you tell your 18-year-old self?
- When did you first believe you could do something special?
- What did you have to unlearn from the way you grew up?
02Money
- What does money mean to you today, compared to when you had very little?
- What is a money mistake you will never repeat?
- How do you decide what is worth spending on?
- Can money buy peace of mind?
- What should someone do with their very first salary?
03Mindset and fear
- What are you most afraid of right now?
- What do you say to yourself when everything goes wrong?
- Which belief held you back the longest?
- Have you ever felt you did not deserve your success?
- Where does real confidence come from?
04People and relationships
- Who is the most important person behind your success?
- What has your work cost your family, and what has it given them?
- How do you know you can trust someone?
- Who do you call when you face a hard decision?
- What does a good friend do that most people do not?
05Health and habits
- What does the first hour of your day look like?
- How much does sleep affect the quality of your work?
- Which habit changed your life the most?
- How do you rest without feeling guilty?
- How do you know you are close to burning out?
06Leading people
- What is the hardest conversation you have ever had with someone on your team?
- What makes someone worth promoting?
- What have you learned from letting someone go?
- How do you give feedback that people actually use?
- What kind of leader do people follow when things get hard?
07Bangladesh and the future
- What is the biggest opportunity in Bangladesh that most people miss?
- What would you build in Bangladesh if you were 22 again?
- What does Bangladesh do better than the rest of the world?
- What should Bangladesh stop doing, and what should it start?
- What will decide where Bangladesh stands in 2035?
08Meaning and legacy
- How do you want to be remembered?
- What would you do with your life if money did not matter?
- What is the most important thing life has taught you?
- What do you regret not doing sooner?
- What does a successful life mean to you now?
Rapid fire
Quick answers to end on a high.
- 1The one book everyone should read?
- 2The one habit you never skip?
- 3The best advice you ever received?
- 4The worst advice you ever received?
- 5Early morning or late night?
- 6Your first job?
- 7Your biggest luxury?
- 8Your life in one word?
- 9One thing you would tell the whole country?
- 10Who should be the next guest on AZA XECUTION?
Closing ritual
Three things to end every episode the same way.
- 1Leave one question for the next guest.The Execution Diary handoff: the guest writes a question in the diary, and I read it to the next guest.
- 2What is one thing you will do differently after today's conversation?The guest turns their own lesson into a step.
- 3Where can people follow your work?So viewers can keep learning from them.
From answer to lesson
Every answer becomes a playbook card.
This is how I turn what a guest says into something anyone can use: the same five parts, every time.
Playbook cardAZA XECUTION
- 1The decisionWhat they chose
- 2The reasonWhy, in one line
- 3The mistakeWhat went wrong
- 4The methodWhat they did about it
- 5Your next stepWhat you can try this week
Prep sheet
Build a question sheet for a guest.
Pick the guest's category. The sheet brings in the signature questions, the six steps and questions for that world. Tick what you want to ask, then copy or print it.
AZA XECUTION question sheet · Business & Leadership