Five Questions To Ask Right Now

“Hope locates itself in the premises that we don’t know what will happen and that in the spaciousness of uncertainty is room to act.”

- Rebecca Solnit

Crises have a way of showing us what’s important and clearing away the clutter. We’re finding ourselves at the beginning of a “great reset” as our personal and societal values shift. 

There is much uncertainty in our world today. But it is uncertainty that creates opportunity to act–opportunities to strengthen our teams and organizations; opportunities to build the communities and world we want to live in. 

It starts with tapping into our curiosity. Here are the five questions every leader should be asking right now to creatively problem solve for today and to envision the future.

1. What does my team need to feel safe?

This is an unsettling time for employees. They are being asked to be productive and resourceful while shifting to a new way of working–and living. They are facing an uncertain future while feeling isolated. How might you cultivate team wellbeing that enables everyone to perform at their best?

RECONNECT

Bring your team together to reflect on their experience and how their values and priorities are shifting during this time. Discuss the stressors and the unexpected joys. As a leader, be open about your own experience. What new team rituals could you try to keep your team connected?

2. Are we working on the right things right now?

The pandemic isn’t a temporary disruption. We are starting to see a new normal emerging. Customer values are shifting and the economy is changing. What are the implications on your team’s current work?

REPRIORITIZE

Bring your group together to take a pass at reprioritizing initiatives along a timeline using key criteria like ‘meets important customer needs’ and ‘leverages our competitive advantage.’ Use your output to gather feedback from customers and internal stakeholders.

3. Are we meeting the new needs of our customers?

Customers are changing in small and big ways as they quarantine and manage LFH (life-from-home). And many of these changes will persist long after the pandemic subsides. Do you need to tweak your offering–or your framing of your offering–to meet these needs?

REPOSITION

Identify the important new needs of your audience and audit your existing offering against those needs. How might you address any gaps?

4. What new possibilities does this create?

The business landscape is undergoing the biggest disruption of our lifetime. The health crisis–and how we’re managing it–has lowered the barriers to change. Obstacles to innovation, such as regulations, are being removed. Consumers are opening up to new brands, products and services to meet their new needs. What opportunities might this surface for you?

RE-ENVISION

Survey the landscape for “Evidence of the Future.” What behaviors, services, products, business models, experiences are on the rise? Which are on the decline? What will the future look like when these emerging trends become the status quo? What needs to happen for that to be true?

5. How can we help in the fight against the pandemic?

To fight this pandemic and rebuild the economy, we need to all come together bringing our unique skill and strengths. Joining the fight will have an immediate positive impact for society–and your team morale. And it may even reveal new business opportunities down the road. How might you repurpose your capabilities to meet these urgent needs?

REPURPOSE

Find the connection between the new, urgent needs of your employees, your customers, the front lines of the pandemic, the community, society at large–and your company’s strengths and assets. Where could your team contribute?

In this moment, we have an opportunity to rethink everything. We are now in new territory where our old maps don’t apply. As we restart the economy, let’s be intentional about charting our new, better path forward!

“The best way to predict the future is to create it.”

- Peter Drucker

Are you looking to dive deeper? Get in touch – we’d love to help you explore your team’s new possibilities.