Why I ask these two questions

I heard on a podcast last week something to this effect: there have been decades when nothing happened and weeks when decades happened. That is beyond true right now. 

Change. It is constant and challenging, yet I find it super exhilarating. We are in a moment where what the customer wants is changing constantly. Finding ways to address changing needs is a conversation we are having every single day. When you begin to understand a problem and watch as your team collaborates to find your customers' solutions, true growth happens.

We need to challenge ourselves that what we have done day in and day out for the last five, ten, fifteen years might not still be valid today. There are outside factors that can impact the well-being of your team. The fears that arise with uncertainty and change can be challenging to navigate as a leader but leading through change can play an influential role in fostering a safe space to grow. There are two questions I like to ground myself in as I lead through uncertainty.   

1. In what areas are we really good? 
2. Why is the problem you are trying to solve important to your customer? 

Why are these the two questions we need to ground our teams during uncertain times? 

At the core, those two questions are invariably linked and will always allow you to assess where you, and your team, are and as a leader, how you need to navigate through the change.  

Think about those two questions as roots to a tree. Once you are grounded in understanding your personal strengths and have clarified what problem you are trying to solve, you can roll up your sleeves and dig in, building on those foundational experiences.   

When you focus on building your skill set, you can begin to anticipate what your customer needs from you, no matter your current situation. Uncertainty often accompanies change – and leading through that uncertainty can be difficult. I have been lucky enough to have a range of experiences in my career that helped me understand what I was good at and what I was not passionate about. 

Did I need to have those experiences? 100%. They allowed me to learn and grown and challenge myself.  During those times of growth, I had incredible leaders that fostered openness to explore new experiences and build skill sets that have shaped my career.

As I take those two questions and think about what is next, I remember all of the times I was given the chance to develop. As a leader, think about how you can create safe spaces so your team can ask those two questions and begin to identify what truly energizes them about their work. I’m thankful for those leaders that allowed me the opportunity to grow.

If you are not passionate about what you do, you will not give all of yourself in the long run. Right now, we need to challenge ourselves to build the skill set that will drive the business forward at the end of the day.