Asking better questions

When faced with issues in the business it is sometimes easy to jump to conclusions based on what you believe. It might not be a fact-based idea that is helpful to the situation – it could be a distraction.

When we state what we think the problem is we can often end up limiting our options. This can lead to a narrow view of the world and not help us to generate a really effective solution. If we discuss what we can see (or feel or hear) about the issue then that is about as close as we can get to in terms of facts.

An example of this would be a flat tyre. Some people will say that you have a puncture (the narrow view) because that is what they expect. This could be the case, but there are other reasons why the tyre could be flat – the only thing we can see is that there is a lack of air in the tyre. There could be multiple reasons as to why this is the case. By keeping the initial thinking broad we can find out what is the real situation.

If we can stay with broader thinking at the outset of an issue faced by the business then we can gather our thoughts and facts first. This means that when we come to narrow our focus we end up with a more appropriate solution and have a good chance of solving the real problem.

Smartspeed Consulting Limited
'For When Results Matter'www.smartspeed.co.uk

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