Asking Questions Alters Your Future

Just not blogging as frequently as I used to these days. However, an important thought comes to mind based upon recent experiences.

Each day we are challenged to "qualify" our opportunities, just like a salesperson. Where can we add the highest value -- and get the highest value in return? That is a key question both personally and professionally.

When we fail to qualify by asking questions and challenging the relevance to business value, we have lost value for our business partners and diminished our futures. This latter part I feel more intensely than ever.

As a young person, I was only concerned with measuring my success against the expectations of my manager. I would simply execute and hope for the best. That is how you get a resume full of "capabilities" and not so many accomplishments.

Over time you realize that executing can be done fruitlessly, and there is a much stronger psychological -- and economic need -- to leave a legacy of value creation. That can only be done by first discovering how what you do will add value.

Managers are supposed to be trained in this -- so they can communicate it back to their direct reports. But I see many for whom this isn't even a consideration. Often times, they are driven by their own feelings of psychological pressure and fear of their managers and other "important" stakeholders.

So, we have to ask questions back. And sometimes say "no." In the interest, mind you, of creating a win-win outcome.

The more we can do that, the more successful we shall be.