The Two Fundamental Questions

What are you doing? And why?

Two simple questions. Yet these questions are two of the most powerful out there.

I was recently introduced to the work of Jez Rose. Jez is a Behaviour Insight Adviser, Keynote Speaker, Conference Host, Author and TV presenter. Quite a roll call of roles!

Having been asked to provide the after-dinner speech at a work conference, he apparently blew the audience away with the quality and impact of his talk. He then proceeded to impress the CEO of the company even further. Having a quick chat post speech, he and the CEO got into the essence of Jez’s work, and his message. As his website says, second to his moustache (which, to be fair, is seriously impressive) his greatest asset is his ability to ask the right questions that lead to positive, lasting changes in behaviour. And in his quick chat with the CEO, he shared the two key ones he asks when working with leadership teams:

·       What are you doing? and

·       Why?

The CEO (a good friend of mine) shared this with me as he knew how much I would love it. (I loved it so much that I went home to research Jez Rose and am now writing a blog about him…)

Why? Because I know through all the work that I do, whether it’s coaching senior leaders, mentoring elite athletes and coaches, or in my non-exec roles, that the questions you ask are key to the outcomes you get.

Questions make you think. They make you care. They ensure you don’t just do ‘same old, same old’ without thinking. They can bring you up short. They can cause a smile. They can delight you. They can enable you to explain. They can enable you to understand. And, importantly, they can ensure that you are doing the right things, for the right reasons.

I can’t tell you how many times I have been in meetings, or coaching situations, where posing Jez’s two questions has helped (yes, thankfully these questions have been in my locker for some time now). Some examples.

·       A lengthy senior leadership team discussion about the intricacies of a new initiative for the business. Asking the team ‘what are you doing’ and ‘why’ led to an increasingly engaged discussion on the issue, leading them to conclude that this should not be being discussed at their level, but instead dealt with at senior management team level. Leading to a reflection on the whole area of the ‘What’ and ‘Why’ of senior leadership team meetings, and a completely revised agenda and rhythm of meetings going forwards.

·       A session with the senior leadership team of one of our major national institutions, asking delegates to consider what they do in their roles, and why. This led to quite a few delegates leaving the room with a completely different view of their role, and how they should be allocating their time.

·       A Board Meeting that was getting slightly ‘fruity’ in the way they sometimes can between the exec and non-exec members. A question from me to ask ‘What are we asking for here as the non-execs’ and ‘Why’ helped to position and rebalance the discussion.

·       An elite coach talking through their role in solving a particular problem with their athletes. In answering the questions ‘What are you doing in this regard’ and ‘Why’ she could see that she needed to address the problem in a completely different way.

I’m sure you can think of many others situations. Two simple questions – leading frequently to much better outcomes. Worth adding to your toolbox?

For more on this or any aspect of leadership, with a healthy dose of mindset, sport, and I hope usefulness thrown in, do feel free to browse through all the articles in the Huddle, or get in touch with me directly on catherine@sportandbeyond.co.uk. And to find out more about Jez Rose, take a look here. https://www.thatjezrose.com/