Ford Global Fellows: Big Juicy Question

Why It Matters

By embedding curiosity‑driven inquiry into leadership development, the fellowship accelerates innovative solutions to systemic inequality, offering organizations a replicable model for building resilient, socially responsible talent.

Key Takeaways

• Fellows use a ‘Big Juicy Question’ as personal learning compass.
• Program blends curiosity, neuroscience, and self‑authorship to drive change.
• Leaders confront uncomfortable truths, disrupting status‑quo systemic biases.
• Collaborative network amplifies diverse perspectives to co‑design solutions.
• Question‑driven leadership models adaptability, shaping future possibilities for change.

Summary

The Ford Global Fellowship introduces the “Big Juicy Question” as a personal compass for emerging leaders committed to ending inequality and strengthening democracy.

The program rests on a deliberately developmental framework that pushes participants to the “edge of knowing,” confront uncomfortable truths, and replace “what is” with forward‑looking “what if” inquiries. By disrupting hidden biases and strengthening self‑authorship, fellows move from reactive to proactive solution design.

Participants describe the experience as a shift from fear to curiosity that rewires their brain, allowing them to see problems as design opportunities. One fellow notes, “When leaders ask questions they don’t already know the answer to, they signal willingness to be changed,” highlighting vulnerability and co‑design as core differentiators.

For businesses and NGOs, this question‑driven leadership cultivates adaptable teams, accelerates cross‑sector collaboration, and creates a pipeline of change‑makers capable of tackling systemic barriers, making the fellowship a strategic asset for social impact initiatives.

Original Description

The Big Juicy Question is a practice developed by Global Fellowship director Adria Goodson. It gives fellows a practical tool to create and explore the questions that matter most to them. Rather than following a fixed curriculum, fellows use their questions to shape their own learning journey across different geographies with peers who are doing the same. The result is a leadership experience that is both authentically personal and genuinely collaborative, and supports leaders who are taking on the world's most pressing challenges.