Feel the Fear and... Do It Anyway !!

Going through my LinkedIn feed recently, I ran into a nice book review by one of my localization industry friends, Miguel Sepulveda . In this post , he walks us through a book called "Leading with Questions: How Leaders Find the Right Solutions by Knowing What to Ask" by Michael J. Marquardt. Several thoughts came to my mind while reading what he wrote, so I thought I would share them with you here.

Why did I react to Miguel's post in the first place?

You may know by now that last year I decided to become a mentor and coach at a somewhat more professional level than before. I've been advising and coaching people around me in an unofficial way for years. Some people have turned to me when they were in tough situations or needed clarity because they knew I had the skills, knowledge, and connections to guide them through.

Asking good questions from a place of genuine caring toward the person in front of me is a good part of this job. When I was wondering if I could be a professional coach, my peer coach and streamer, Mark Thomas , asked me two questions: 1) if I knew how to ask good questions, and 2) if I genuinely cared about those who I advised. My answers were, of course, "yes" to both. Hearing my answers, he smiled and said that I would make a good coach. While Tim is responsible for opening the door for Writer Yuka , Mark is responsible for opening the door for Coach Yuka.

Good questions may not be easy to hear or answer, and they may not be calm or encouraging. My question may be about what you want to avoid looking at or considering because it is uncomfortable or scary to think about. Sometimes, I might directly challenge you with a question. In both cases, I'm always coming from a place of caring. And my goal is always for you to learn and make progress, not to judge you or prove you wrong. Let's put it this way: it's tough love.

But what about me?

Only discussing the questions I ask to others is almost missing the whole point of this book. One of the most important lessons in this book is to act beyond our fears, encouraging us to "ask questions, even if it scares you" like you see in the graphic above. I stopped my train of thought immediately and asked this very question: "but what about me?"

Over the last three years, as I've been through many uncomfortable and difficult situations. I learned that when I felt like something was off, I needed to stop and ask myself one essential question: "should I maintain the status quo ?" When it felt off, most of the time the answer was no.

Then, what happened next? Usually, some more specific questions rushed to my mind: should we do something about this before going further? Should we stop? Should we start over? Should we pivot? Should I get out?

When I feel scared to ask these questions to those involved, it's usually a good sign that I need to ask these questions before making the situation worse. It's a sign that there was something there to solve. Sometimes, I get carried away by the fear and ignore this quiet, yet precious, inner voice. Of course, when I don't act upon them, I end up finding myself on an inevitable crash course.

On the other hand, if I had asked these questions right away, would it have been completely rosy? Who knows? All I know is that not speaking up and asking the important questions hasn't worked for me in the past. So this year, I've decided to put into practice the famous phrase I've heard over and over again for over two decades: "feel the fear and ask anyway."

Are you ready? Shall we take the leap together? Well, maybe it doesn't have to be that dramatic. Just keep asking! Think of it more like "Keep Calm and Keep Asking." When you're scared to ask the question, you should know that it means you absolutely need to ask that exact question out loud.

Yuka Nakasone ?-?Chief Strategist at?Global Bridge .?With over 30 years of experience in international business, Yuka helps SMEs in the retail industry including retailers, distributors, and retail technology companies to optimize their global operations and grow internationally with digitization and localization through her consultancy company, Global Bridge.?Born and raised in Japan, she started her globalization career in Boston, MA, USA, and now enjoys a borderless life with her own small Franco-Japanese family on the Mediterranean coast near Barcelona, Spain.

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