This Is the One Question I Ask My Team Every Week That Transformed Our Performance I learned to ask my team the one question I was taught never to ask myself as a kid. Asking this question improved our decision-making ability, which in turn, dramatically improved our performance.
By Amy M Chambers Edited by Kara McIntyre
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I was raised to be a perfectionist. My mother was a math teacher and taught both algebra and geometry, subjects where there's only one correct answer. I was taught to view most things in life this way. Admitting you didn't know something, hadn't formed an opinion yet or changed your mind was viewed as a sign of weakness or unintelligence. Reversing or updating a former opinion wasn't an option because it meant that our past selves had erred. And since we didn't like mistakes, we couldn't have that.
This approach limited me for years. Not only in leadership, but in life. Feeling that my first answer or opinion had to be right and that I couldn't renege on it limited my academic research and exploration and negatively affected my romantic relationships and friendships.
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However, when I got into leadership, I realized how detrimental it was to never rethink our thinking. I noticed that the best minds constantly sought out new information as they honed and refined their approaches and overall craft. Star performers weren't afraid to say, "We learned something new, so we changed our minds." Witnessing that a few times forever changed me.
Because I wanted to help my team practice this thought process, I began asking them a series of questions every week that all started with "Are we sure?" This process motivated my teams to do more research and ask more questions of themselves and others to arrive at increasingly better solutions. Here are some examples.
1. Are we sure we're going in the right direction?
Many leaders like to see results — and fast. In situations like these, it can be very tempting to jump at the first or fastest possible solution and start running with it. After all, it feels good to quickly return to our bosses with a glowing progress report that sounds something like this: "We've met, made a plan and are already implementing it."
But slowing down to ask questions like, "Are we sure our data is correct?" or "What haven't we considered yet?" makes it more likely that the chosen course of action isn't just the first or the fastest one, but it's the right one. We might ask, "Are we sure this aligns with our vision, mission or core values?" If not, we shouldn't do it.
Asking these questions also makes us consider the long-term effects of our decisions (including unforeseen consequences), instead of just short-term benefits. I've seen many projects crash and burn after a few months of work all because the group deciding on the direction never paused to ask "are we sure?" at the outset. A few extra hours (or even minutes) making sure that a proposed path is the best one is well worth the time, especially if it saves months of unnecessary work and expenses.
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2. Are we sure they're with us?
Countless times, my direct-reporting managers told me (about their teams): "I told them. They know. They're fine with it." Only later, I discovered that they didn't know and weren't fine with it. Whenever we're making changes or trying anything new, it's worthwhile to make sure our people really understand and are on board. Asking myself this type of "am I sure?" question has led me to go back to teams and ask clarifying questions about what they understand and where the holes are. It's led me to schedule time (either formally or casually) with folks so I can pick their brain and find out what they really think about it.
Making sure people are on board means asking questions like, "How are you feeling about these new initiatives?" or, "What concerns or fears do you have about the new process or structure?" This shows our authenticity and how much we care. Questions like these show people that it's okay to be confused (at first) or nervous. Asking these questions because you want to be sure might lead you to uncover that others are worried or anxious about the future, but just didn't know how to tell you. Giving them a safe space to discuss it is a form of giving them psychological oxygen and builds tremendous loyalty. Employees who have had the chance to ask questions, clarify confusion and share their honest thoughts will always be far more engaged than those who haven't had that chance. So, be sure.
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3. Are we sure it's not our fault?
Sometimes, we struggle with accountability. That makes sense. Our subconscious mind wants to protect us, and it doesn't usually feel good to admit we've screwed up. When things are going wrong, it's human nature for many of us to point the finger at another group or department and say, "It's their fault." It's even more dangerous when we do this without telling anyone.
Employees periodically hold grudges towards other colleagues because of a triggering past event, then avoid collaborating or partnering with them because of those memories. When people begin giving me external factors for why something couldn't get done, I like to ask: "Are we sure there's absolutely nothing more we can do?" or, "What more can we do?" Almost always, there's something. We can also ask, "Are we sure we did our best?" Asking these questions encourages people to step up and take more responsibility. It's an opportunity to think of just one more possibility that hasn't been tried or done. Sometimes, it's exactly that one thing that makes all the difference. Before allowing your team to say, "it's not us, it's them," I always make sure they're sure.
Asking a series of "are you sure" questions accomplishes many things. It shows others that great decisions often shouldn't be made rashly or in a vacuum. Great decisions require careful consideration and the best ones are made after looking through numerous angles or lenses and interacting with numerous people. Asking if we're sure forces others to pause or slow down, which gives us extra time for self-reflection and brings our conscious mind into the loop. This ensures our decisions aren't just emotional, but logical, too. Asking if we're sure improves the effectiveness and accuracy of our decisions.
