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Let’s give a little bit of thought to questions and curiosity. When organizations are generally faced with urgency and unpredictability, being able to ask smart questions has become a real key leadership skill, especially when setting strategy. I would like to share five types of questions to ask yourself to help boost strategic decision.
First is an investigative question. What do we know?When you're facing a problem or an opportunity, the best decision makers start by clarifying their purpose, asking themselves what they want to achieve and what they need to learn to do.
The second type of question is speculative. What if? These questions help you consider the situation at hand way more broadly, help reframing the problem, and actually even exploring new different ways to get to the solution.
The third type of question is a productive one. Now what? When you're assessing the availability of things like talent, capabilities, time, or any other resource, this will ultimately help you determine a good course of action.
The fourth kind of question is interpretive. So what? This naturally follows up with something that you can push back on, and you have to continually redefine the core issue. But it helps you togo beneath the surface and draw out any implications of the observation or the idea. This is a good scenario planner.
The last kind of question is subjective. What's unsaid?The final question usually deals with personal reservations, frustrations, tensions, and any kind of hidden agendas that can push decision making off course.
All of this came from an HBR article that I had recently read, and that last one, which is what's unsaid, leans into a portion that I really try to help my leaders with, which is ETA - emotions, thoughts, and actions. After you go through these types of inner questions, even really during these types of questions, you will have emotions bubble up.
It could be catabolic like fear or frustration or resentment. Because you're in the situation having to ask these questions. You could be uncertain or scared that you need to make the right decision. Those are emotions that are going to lead to the next thing, which are your thoughts. Your thoughts are those self-talk moments and if you do not have a good self-talk as your inner voice, what will happen after… the actions will mimic your thoughts. So having emotions is very natural and everyone, I encourage you, have emotions… feel the feels.
When it comes to the thoughts, that's where I'd like you to take a pause and ask yourself, is this true? How true is this?Is there another way I could look at this and not have the catabolic emotion that's attached to this thought. The ultimate action you take is going to have the greatest impact and hopefully the best turn out for whatever it is that you're challenging.
Questions help clarify. Emotions are good to feel. Thoughts can be controlled. Actions will follow all of the above. We are here to help in both strategy and in mindset.
Reach out when needed.
Carol Fraser, CEO
--> Newsletter 24-19
