Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Questions Analysis: Vision Clarification

Dear Managers and Leaders!

In my last post, I classified questions into two broad categories: open and closed questions. I also promised that the next few posts will also discuss questions as tools for leaders. So, today, I continue our exploration of the world of questions, but looking at a very practical issue this time. You have a vision of something you want to accomplish. I will present a list of open questions that you can ask to clarify that vision.

Note that this set of questions is taken from the book “Savoir innover en équipe” (Know how to Lead your Team to Innovation – my translation) by Sébastien Beaulieu and Luc-Antoine Malo. It is an excellent little book, full of practical advices, that explores the concept of generative collaboration of Robert Dilts. Unfortunately, I do not think it has been translated into English yet.

OK, so you have a vision of something that you want to accomplish. What would be good open questions to ask to make sure that the vision is clear and that you stand a chance to succeed? Here is the list:
  1. What do you want to accomplish? – The answer to this question represents where you want to go. It describes the final future state you want to accomplish.
  2. What will tell you that you successfully accomplished your vision? – This will provide you with a way to clearly establish objective criterion for success. Often times, we start an enterprise without knowing how to define success. This can lead to never ending projects, ill-defined goals, and lack of motivation towards accomplishing the goals. If you want to know when you’ll arrive at destination, you need to draw the finish line first.
  3. What resources will you need to accomplish your vision? – This is the list of things you need to bring with you for the journey. What do you need to be able to accomplish your vision? What are the people, the material, the knowledge that you need to successfully reach your destination?
  4. What are the advantages and downsides for your team members, your team, and other actors of the system? – What will be the impact of this vision on the people you lead, on your team, and on other people important to your organization?
  5. What will happen if you do not accomplish your vision? – Answering this question should bring you a sense of urgency and gauge the importance your vision has for you. This question should help you bring purpose into your project of accomplishing your vision. Without a clear understanding of the purpose of your mission, it could be quite difficult to keep your motivation and the motivation of your team up in face of adversity.
  6. What are the steps to accomplish your vision? – This is the project planning per say. The fact that you understand the steps required will allow you to define clear milestones along the way and secure early wins. This is important for motivation and control.
  7. What minuscule change can you do today towards your vision? – This ensures that you turn your plan into action as quickly as possible. It ensures that you will not postpone until tomorrow what you can do today. It also enhances your accountability and checks that you really want to implement your vision now.
What about you dear leader, are you asking these types of questions before you jump into a new endeavour? Do you make sure that you put everything in place and thus ensure success before you commit yourself to a project? Please share your thoughts with the other readers by adding a comment below.

Until next time,

Remi Cote

PS: If you find these postings interesting and would like to learn more about what I can do for you and your team, then please visit www.innovachron.com or contact me directly at remi@innovachron.com.

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