Quality Questions Are Quintessential
Most businesses on a day-to-day basis are simply about solving problems. The little problems that crop up that day, the customer problems, staffing issues, as well as the slow burning problems that take time and momentum to gather pace as well as the big problems that seemingly drop out of the sky unexpectedly and when planning ahead, the leader's job is to think about the implications of their actions and pre-empt problems before they even arise
We all know the management speak that advises us to focus on the solutions not the problems, and that problems are never truly problems - just opportunities to learn. Yet in all these situations it is only when we use our imagination, creativity and resources that we can think of options and solutions to any issues we may need to deal with.
Thinking creatively seems to come naturally to some people, whilst others struggle, but like all skills creativity is a muscle and the more you use it the easier it becomes.
Creativity comes when you direct your thinking, which in turn comes from asking the right questions.
Just as the Universe abhors a vacuum and will rush in to fill the space, your brain hates an unanswered question and will dig deep into your grey matter, and intensifies your awareness to the situation around you to offer up potential answers to the questions you ask of yourself.
If you've ever wondered why you wake up at 3 am with a head full of information, it's because your brain doesn't go to sleep when you do. It's still working on finding answers to all the unanswered questions of the day... that person's name you couldn't quite remember earlier, where you've left your keys and all the other business decisions you're mulling over.
Using what I call 'Power questions', is a great way to direct your thinking and draw on your own resources and inner power. Let me give you some examples;
- 'How can I deal with this moment brilliantly?'
- 'What is the best possible outcome from this situation?'
- 'If time and money were no object, what choice would I make?'
- 'What alternatives do I have?'
- 'What else maybe involved in this situation that I'm not yet aware of?'
- 'What are the questions I need to ask?!'
I was recently privileged to listen to an exceptional young entrepreneur, Darren Williams the CEO of Harland Corporation Ltd., the business behind multiple successful online hair product brands including hairextensions.co.uk and hairfeathers.co.uk
Darren was sharing his energetic rise in business and armed with a very clear vision to become the Amazon for all things hair related, a number of times he cited how whenever he was faced with a tough choice or a difficult decision he would ask himself;
"What would the cleverest person in the world do... let's go one better?"
Now that's what I call a power question... just brilliant!
It's questions like this that meant Darren had the confidence to turn down a huge investment opportunity from an American company, or to spot niche opportunities and turn an idea, such as spying a feather in Steven Tyler's hair on American Idol, into a completely new brand, royalfeathers.co.uk which they sourced, branded, marketed, and were trading in just under 6 weeks!
It's no accident therefore that the quality of your business is a direct reflection of the quality of the questions you ask yourself.
So if you were the cleverest person in the world, how could you go one better?
For more information on Darren or his companies visit www.daz.co.uk and yes he did register that domain from under the noses of P&G... that's what the cleverest person in the world would do... but then do it one better!
Christine Dubyts is crazy about marketing and helping businesses stay in business, grow and prosper. As a fempreneur she has a special interest in working with other women business owners with their marketing and business growth efforts.
