What Vital Questions Must You Answer?

I got questions

You go questions

Let me make suggestions

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From the song ‘Questions’

By Meech Maine

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The dog in the above picture is wondering if you have forgotten something. It could be whether you are going to give him a treat or take her for a walk. I wonder if they are curious about something else.

The beginning of the New Year nudges many of us into different goal or intention-setting processes for the coming year. We may ask some basic questions, usually not too deep, before formulating our goals. Goals represent the answers to where we want to go.

Yet they do not inform us who we want to be along the way or whether our aims align with our highest values. Critical considerations if we're going to live and lead with fewer regrets.

In our rush to determine the answers, we often do not give enough thought and attention to the quality of the questions we ask.

We forget that the best answers come from vital, compelling, and relevant questions. Thus, the merit of the inquiry determines the significance of the response.

Perhaps we should take our time and not be in such a rush.

A powerful way to pressure test the validity of a question is by asking, ‘What do I want the question to do?’

Do I want it to:

Generate excitement and commitment?

Channel attention and focus inquiry?

Compel collaboration and innovation?

Evoke feelings and emotions?

Touch deep meaning and significance?

Or something else?

Dr. Marilee Adams, founder and CEO of the Inquiry Institute, completed her Doctoral Thesis on the premise that everything begins with a question. Answers to unworthy or irrelevant inquiries are not worth much. They pull our focus away from more worthy uses of our attention.

A well-honed question is another entity altogether. It is worth staying with. It engages our minds, yields other queries, and puts our subconscious to work on it.

To what questions will you commit? What progress measures will you use? How will you ensure you and others stick with them?

Below are some vital questions I am considering for myself for this year.

What are the ways I want to show up differently for myself and others?

What primary purpose do I commit to furthering?

What relationships do I pledge to cultivate?

What must I give up and let go of to make room for the emergent?

What reflective practices will I engage in to keep myself accountable and on track?

I want to acknowledge there is value in setting simpler, more defined goals through methodologies that work for you and your team. It is critical to write them down and revisit them, too. However, these objectives are incomplete and miss more meaningful, significant, and worthwhile aspirations.

I encourage you to ask thoughtful questions of your own for 2024. Ensure they are authentic to you, your team, your family, and your company.

I propose you begin broadly. When you have completed your initial list, ask yourself and others you respect, ‘What questions have I not asked that I should ask?’

Ultimately, you will want to narrow your list down as much as possible so you will remember them and to ensure you further what you have deemed most significant.

Determine if, when, and how you will engage your team.

Consider engaging a coach, consultant, or facilitator to help enhance and improve your process, inputs, and outcomes.

The best leaders focus their time, energy, and attention on the most vital questions. ?What are those inquiries for you, your team, your family, and your organization?

If you want to discuss ways to develop and grow your leadership to benefit yourself, your team, your family, or your organization, please reach out to me. I welcome the connection.

Robert Hackman, Principal, 4C Consulting and Coaching, helps people live and lead with fewer regrets. He grows and develops leaders through executive coaching consulting, facilitation, and training of individuals, teams, and organizations. He is committed to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. He facilitates trusting environments that promote uncommonly candid conversations. Rob is also passionate about the power of developing Legacy Mindsets and has conducted over 50 Legacy interviews with people to date.

A serious man with a dry sense of humor who loves absurdity can often be found hiking rocky elevations or making music playlists. His mixes, including Pandemic Playlists and Music About Men, among others, can be found on Spotify.

Bravely bring your curiosity to a conversation with Rob, schedule via voice or text @ 484.800.2203 or [email protected].