We know, generically, we should be living in a season of curiosity, always asking questions. But is it really important to be doing this? And if so, how can we actually do it well?
We know, generically, we should be living in a season of curiosity, always asking questions. But is it really important to be doing this? And if so, how can we actually do it well?
Modern Mentor is hosted by Rachel Cooke. A transcript is available at Simplecast.
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Hey, it’s Rachel Cooke, your Modern Mentor. I’m the founder of Lead Above Noise—a firm specializing in activating workplaces. We find your blind spots and opportunities and build you the custom blueprint to get your teams delivering their best work. Efficiently, collaboratively, with full engagement.
So. Let me ask you a question. How often and how intentionally are you asking questions at work? And yeah, I did that on purpose
Everyone I know right now is swimming in overwhelm. From senior executives to frontline individual contributors, everyone’s calendars and to-do lists are the stuff of nightmares.
And I’m seeing people respond, largely, in one of two ways.
Some are just plowing through. They’re burning candles at both ends, convinced they won’t catch fire. But spoiler alert: they will at some point. This approach isn’t sustainable.
So what are the others doing? Well, it’s 2024, so we seem to be calling it “Quiet Vacationing” (though I’ve not yet figured out how this differs from 2023’s Quiet Quitting trend). But it’s the thing we do when we show up in body, but we check out in spirit. We look like we’re working, but mostly we’re not. Also, not a great choice.
So…what is then something we can be doing to better manage this collective state we’re in?
There are lots of levers we can pull. But I think one of the most underutilized ones right now is just asking questions. More questions, better questions, intentional questions. Broadly speaking, I think there are 4 categories of questions we can and should be asking. Each, in its own way, positioned to pave a path toward just a little more ease.
Now, you may be thinking “But I ask lots of questions already!” And this may be true. But so many of the questions I hear around me are those of approval seeking (do you agree), or timeline checking (so you need this by Tuesday?).
These are questions to check a box rather than spark a dialog.
These are words concluding in question marks. But they’re not really designed to achieve much. They are yes/no questions driving approval. But not challenging a rethink. An exploration. And these are what I’d love us to lean into.
So let’s talk about some other types of questions we can all start practicing – to help us achieve more impact, rather than chasing more volume.
1. Questions to drive understanding
OK. So one reason we’re all so busy is that we’re in such a hurry to act, to implement and execute, that we don’t always invest the time upfront to fully understand the what and why of a project.
These questions will often begin with “Why do we…” or “Why are we…”
I do a lot of work with teams around leading through change. I was working with a client recently who wanted advice on building out their change scorecard. So that after each change they could give themselves a score.
When they brought me in, they had about a dozen possible metrics on the table. And they wanted my support in pulling it all together.
Adam, the lead on the project, immediately started explaining each piece of data – where he’d pulled it from, what it represented, how they’d collect it going forward, and on and on.
When he finally took a breath, I said, “Hey Adam, what is the actual purpose of this scorecard you’re building?”
He looked at me puzzled. Then he said “well, so when the change is over, we know how we did.”
And I said, “So, if you did well, you get a pat on the back. And if you didn’t do well…it’s too late to change anything?”
Then he said, well, nothing.
So I kept going. “Adam, I don’t know if a scorecard is the thing you need here. It sounds like what would be more helpful would be a simple way of checking in with people during – not after – the change process. And if things are going well, you keep going. And where they aren’t you can change course while it still matters.”
I’m simplifying and summarizing here. But the point is that my one simple question unlocked the realization – that he was hard at work on a scorecard that wasn’t really solving anything. And the real solution he needed was so much simpler.
So in your own battle with overwhelm. Next time you find yourself gearing up for action, I want you to pause and ask yourself. Is there a simple question I can ask – of myself or someone else – that would help me understand something that, in turn, might help me simplify this work?
2. Questions to trigger creativity
This is all about tapping our imagination before we move to action.
These often begin with “What if we…”
Taking the time to ask these – and making room for the most ridiculous answers – can sometimes be the unlock we need.
There’s a story I’ve told before. But I love it so much I’m bringing it back. It may be urban legend, but it serves a purpose.
There was a glass factory whose products were packaged in newspaper before being boxed and shipped.
Management of this factory noticed their packing productivity was super low. And in trying to figure out why, they discovered their packers were getting distracted by the newspaper – stopping to read it before packing the glass in it.
Management needed to solve this problem. So they invited their teams to ask “What if we…” questions. The battier the better.
One team member said “What if we poked their eyes out so they couldn’t read?
Absurd as the idea it was, it was the beginning of the solution they ultimately landed on. Which was establishing a partnership with a local non-profit who helped blind citizens find jobs.
Blind packers saved the day.
And so did the questions of wonder.
3. Questions to help us reflect.
Like with the understanding questions, reflection questions also require us to pause. This time after the implementation rather than before.
These are the questions that help us learn from our actions – the good and the bad.
Questions like…
· How did that suit our needs and what would we change?
· What did we expect and what was the reality?
· What caused those differences?
· Did we actually solve the problem?
· What would we do differently next time?
Taking the time to really check the hindsight mirror on what we’ve done – to extract insight and learning – will help us move more effectively and efficiently going forward?
4. Questions that honor our experience
And finally. Much as we want to focus on efficiency, ROI, productivity and results – all of which matter deeply – we just can’t forget the human experience.
Burnout doesn’t just come from too much or too many. It can also be driven by a lack of purpose and connection.
So taking the time to check in – during and after a project – with questions like…
· How did that feel?
· Did we have fun?
· Did we leave our community or our clients in a better place?
· What would be exciting to try next time?
…can deliver insights to help infuse more humanity, purpose, and joy into our working days. Who’d quiet quit that job?
Join me next week for another great episode. Until then, visit my website at leadabovenoise.com if your workplace could use an activation boost – a talk, a workshop, a pulse check – you choose. You can follow Modern Mentor on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Find and follow me on LinkedIn. Thanks so much for listening and have a successful week.
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