A dangerous question...

Leaders are faced with a multitude of questions each and every day which, unfortunately, shifts them from where they should be on the question asking continuum. When we spend too much time answering, we begin to think that is a critical part of being a leader. I would argue it is a important talent of management (very important) but not as much a daily requirement of leadership.

Leaders should be asking many more questions than they answer and the single most important they should ask of all they come in contact with is..."Which potentials within you do you most wish to spend your limited time cultivating, developing, and actualizing in this world?"

If we can agree that a significant part of a leader's value is providing clarity for individuals and organizations, then this makes complete sense...right? Can we think of a better question to ask those in your organization? Let's consider the power of this question. Imagine asking someone this question and allowing them to ponder their response. There is absolutely no wrong answer yet it awakens everyone to the gap between their current and idealized states of being. It also creates two very important feelings...sense of urgency and excitement. It immediately stirs in us the desire to move ahead once we have determined what we bring to the party.

I could even make the argument that the very best result of this conversation would be that a person gives their notice. Imagine how long they might have continued to toil away in their current role being mis-utilized and semi-productive (at best). Life is too short for anyone to be in a role that doesn't excite and stretch them. There is no way anyone gives their best effort each day in a role for which they are not a fit. We all know what it feels like to do work that causes us to be fully engaged so much that we lose our sense of time and actually feel better and more energized when we finished than when we began. Imagine an entire company full of folks like this! Would there be anything they could not collectively accomplish?

Leaders should devote much of their time to asking these types of dangerous questions. I call them dangerous because the elicit both deep thought and responses no one can imagine...or control.

Relentless Leaders accept the risk and search for questions that shake people a bit so they can engage in meaningful conversations that can sometimes leader to personal revelatory experiences.

Perhaps a more dangerous question is...

"What...if anything...will you do about it?"