The Two Most Powerful Questions You Can Ask

Ahhh – you thought I would make you scroll to the bottom of the post to finally get to them – lame…

These are two of my favorite questions I ask myself or my staff when confronted with either a goal or roadblock. Here’s a relatable example:

You: “How can we get <half ridiculous challenge> done by <even more ridiculous timeline>?”

Team: “We can’t, that’s impossible…” (my two favorite words)

You: “No, really. What would it take??”

Team (ponders): “Well, we’d need these three things, but it won’t work unless we have approval from <person>”

You: “Are those ‘three things’ obtainable in the timeline?”

Team: “Yes”

You: “Great, I’ll go ask for approval… Team, get started on those three things, let’s position ourselves to do <half ridiculous challenge> by <even more ridiculous timeline>. Get back to me at the end of the day to talk progress and next steps…”

From there the story can go 100 different ways… What happens if you don’t get approval? “How can we convince that person this is worth it?”

When countered with any “impossible” roadblock or bottleneck I recommend hitting back with a “what would it take…?” and don’t stop asking it until clear action steps are formed.  From there, simply terminate those tasks with extreme prejudice. 😊

Stated again for emphasis: Don't stop asking until you have a clear list of action items!!

They can work for any number of challenges or big hairy audacious goals (BHAG):

-Want a raise or promotion this year?

               (to boss) “How can I convince you to give me that raise this year? What would it take?”

               (shout out to one my buddies for this that very conversation this week!)

-Want to own ten million dollars of real estate? (trick: add a timeline… “…in next ten years”)

               “How can I buy one property by the end of the year… What would it take? “

               (in a hurry?) “How could I buy four properties by the end of the year…?”

-Ask that attractive person at the coffee shop out?

               “Hi, I’m <name>. What would it take for you to have coffee with me today?”

               (Disclaimer: My wife said this wouldn’t have worked on her, but I remain undeterred! Someone attempt this and let me know if it worked for you, don’t be creepy)

-Ramp up your business goal?

               “How can we double our revenue this year?” 

“What would it take to start that second office?”

-Less meetings in the office?  (also works for burnout...)

               “How can I train my staff to make more decisions at their level?”

               “How can I delegate this…?”

These questions work because they focus on possibilities and action steps instead of limitations; and once you begin to apply this mindset you may find that nothing is impossible.  

Get out there and try them today. If you see the potential here and can’t quite get into this mindset, give me a shout.

Cheers!  I'm going to go and attempt to have coffee with my wife again.