Idea

What would your business’s “greatest hits” be if it went under tomorrow? Or what games are played here? Or if you worked in a big glass fishbowl, what might you do differently?

I’ve used these thought-provoking questions, during team building, business and strategic planning as well as leadership development to get people thinking in new directions. Here are three “shake-em up” questions that have generated great discussion and creative solutions.

1. What drives our best customer’s crazy and what makes them exceedingly happy?

This goes beyond the cliche of being customer focused. It energizes people to talk about what they really know about your customer’s needs and expectations. A follow up question could be how can we help our best customers get rid of the thing that drives them crazy and supply the things that will bring a smile to their faces? This can lead to the development of new products and services that will benefit the customer and the company as well.

2. What is the most likely reason someone would want to join our company and why someone would leave it?

This probes deeper issues about what’s attractive and also unattractive about the company and its culture. It can set off fireworks about hiring and firing polices; about good and bad managers; about wages and benefits and a whole slew of other talent management issues as employee motivation, engagement, career development, etc. So don’t ask this question unless you want to hear the good and the bad and also are willing to do something about it.

3. Someone burst into your meeting and shouted “I’ve got good news and bad news.” What do you think those two pieces of news might be?

This question can open up a discussion of how things are really going. I have found that people are under the illusion if we don’t talk about it, it’ll get better or hopefully go away. But generally it doesn’t. It gets worse. So it’s better to find out there are, for example, defects that are being ignored or that the deadline will not be met – and deal with it promptly. You then can stop production until the defect is corrected rather than ship it out and hope the customer won’t notice. Or you can talk with the customer about extending the deadline now rather than beg forgiveness later.

Smart Moves Tip:
All companies need fresh ways to approach problems and opportunities. Or else they will stagnate and perhaps, die. So set aside time at your next board, staff, team meeting or retreat to think outside the box by asking “shake-em up” questions. It may generate some controversy, but that’s OK. It’s better to get an issue out in the open where it can be addressed rather than hidden where it can lead to petty disagreement, employee disengagement and worst of all, customer dissatisfaction.

Marcia Zidle:

The Business Edge with Marcia Zidle, your Smart Moves Coach, delivers practical advice to help business leaders take the growing pains out of growth. Are you facing overwhelming demands on your time? Are costly mistakes eating into your profits? Are you facing increased expectations from customers and clients and the need to strike a better balance in your life? Now’s the time to stop spending your energy managing problems and start doing your real work: growing your business to the next level and beyond. Learn to create a growth agenda to get your business on the right track and keep it there. Rev up your growth engine with exceptional talent. Develop the right kind of leadership to move it forward fast. Start by tuning in to The Business Edge, airing live every Wednesday at 11 AM Pacific Time.