Build credibility with 'What if...'

A great way to build credibility and influence is to become a 'thought partner' for others. And asking implication questions can put you on that path.

But before exploring ‘What if…?’ questions, consider the importance of being a genuine thought partner. This is a rare privilege in the professional world and it is by definition ‘influential’: of all the people available, someone has chosen you to be their sounding board, the person with whom they can have a genuine and constructive dialogue. This doesn't happen every day.

Beyond that, being selected as someone’s thought partner indicates that person values and respects your judgment. That in itself is a powerful compliment: he or she would prefer to consult with you before making an important decision, and evidently believes you to be credible and discreet. In a word, this person trusts you.

But how does one arrive at such an enviable position of credibility, influence and trust? It doesn’t happen overnight. Building this kind of relationship takes time, patience and effort. Beyond that, it often requires the realisation that we can make important contributions with our questions as well as with our answers.

Powerful questions

Being credible and influential – for customers, colleagues or others – is not always a function of knowing ‘the answer’: many answers evolve over time, and we can make a significant contribution to that process by asking the right question at the right moment.

And there are many different questions we can ask. The first letter of the SMI question model reminds us that many questions are situational: who, what, where, when, how, how much? These are the questions we ask in any language to determine what the situation is at a given moment: ‘Who’s there? Where are you going? How much does this cost?’

The letter M in the model reminds us of the important motivation questions, the queries that typically begin with ‘Why?’: ‘Why did we lose that account?’ or ‘Why are we over-budget on this?’ ‘Why is our key competitor gaining market share at our expense?’

We are all familiar with asking situational questions – who, what, where, when, how, how much? – and then following up with motivation questions to ascertain why said situation exists. We are quite skilled at asking these questions and gathering the required answers. Then we might write up a report, prepare a presentation, or move on to another challenge.

But there is another type of question that we often fail to ask, a question that can lead to lateral thinking and innovation. This is the ‘What if…?’ or implication question: ‘What if you had two more days?’ ‘What if we could find money in the budget?’ ‘What if we could release that constraint?’

Implication questions invite us to think about possibilities, consider other perspectives and work around obstacles. This helps make implication questions strategic. Posed at the right moment, they build credibility and influence because they get people to think, often in creative and strategic ways. So these questions need to be in our influence toolboxes.

Thought partner, innovative thinker, pusher of boundaries, challenger of assumptions: these are not for everyone. But if these are the credible, influential roles you want to play in your organisation, ask more implication questions. They will make a difference.