What Is The Right Question

There are millions of books that start with the title, “How To . . .” Most people want to know “How To” which is a great way to satisfy curiosity. For business applications, however, this is absolutely positively not the right first question to ask.

Currently, the questions that most business leaders ask are, “How do we go back to the normal, pre-COVID19?” “How to go back to the good old days of operating our business as usual?” or “How do we handle the new normal, post-COVID19?”

These are not the right questions to ask. The bad news is that you can’t go back. There are no more “Good Old Days.” There is no such thing as “New Normal.” The good news is that you have lots of opportunities for the current and upcoming situations.

“Why?” you ask. Congratulations. You just asked the correct question.

There is an expression, “You never stand in the same river twice.” 

Have you ever had this experience? Most likely, it took place during one of your vacations. On a hot, sticky summer day, you took off your shoes and stood in a river, a creek or a brook, feeling the freshwater cooling you off. The water was running through your toes. Freshwater was splashing up to your calves. You took a deep breath and felt refreshed, relaxed, and re-energized. You could smell the fruit trees nearby. The sound of the running stream reminds you of how well your business is running. You thoroughly enjoy this experience with nature.

Now if you go back to the exact same spot, COVID19 or not, you are not the same person. You have grown older, smarter, and wiser. Those fruits on the trees are not the same ones. The river has a different body of water. You have a different understanding of life and a different mindset from the previous you. Yes, you know there are a lot of uncertainties, unknown and unsettled. And, now, you also know that nothing is forever.

It’s physically, philosophically, and scientifically impossible to go back and stand at that same spot of the river. No. There is no going back. Most people recall how good life was. The recall is not an exact science. Spending time to reconstruct the way things were is backward thinking. Instead, you should be spending time on how to move forward. Up your game now and be ready for your business to be more productive, and more profitable.

Let go of how you used to do things. Take a good look at the new reality. A different kind of new environment requires a different mindset, skillset, and above all, a different attitude.

Certainly, it feels as if it’s foggy all around you with low visibility right now. Perfect metaphor. Nothing is forever. You know that the fog will clear, eventually.

Instead of asking how to go back to the normal way of life, accept what it is now, and start to look for opportunities. Observe the obvious pattern around you. What you need is to develop keen eyes of observation, to capture the opportunities, the pattern, and beware of what might be ahead.

You need to make sure you are always asking the right questions.