Quick Question: What is holding us back from success?
Quick Question
Here is today's quick question for you...What is holding us back from success?
Ask it when you're...
Not progressing at the desired pace - While we might have some forward momentum, often we feel like “if only <this was different> we could go quicker. Having open conversations with the right people in the room may unlock the critical blockage.
Allocating resources - Imagine if you could throw money or people at your most important obstruction. The first step is making sure you agree on the problem. This question can help test your alignment.
Seeking input from your frontline team - Gaining access to the voice of your customer can help distil the most critical problems, and your frontline team can give you deep insights from their day-to-day interactions.
Listen for
This is your chance to go beyond the obvious ‘we need more resources’. Dig deep to find the underlying behaviours or decisions that will unlock your team.
Try to listen for:
Hesitation - where it feels like your team knows what to do but is unwilling or unable to do it.
Frustration - where they feel like they have tried everything and are banging their heads against the wall.
Anger or disappointment - where perhaps stakeholders or partners are not meeting their commitments.
This question will help you identify where you, as their leader, can have the most impact.
Follow up with...
Sometimes, the greatest value comes from the one extra question you take the time to ask.
In this situation, you could try…
What is the one thing you’d like me to do?
Who/what else do we need to solve this problem?
What additional information do we need?
Want to power up your question game?
The Quick Question newsletter puts an expert coach in your back pocket.
The right questions have the power to save time, money and frustration. They improve decision-making quality and sharpen focus on execution.
Why not sign up for free right now to unlock these benefits for your team?