The words question everything has rung out in the halls of many organizations. It is in essence what makes you better at what you do in your business. That is, to be able to ask key business questions so that you have the opportunity to find or develop solutions to business problems or opportunities. Really, isn’t questioning the hallmark of all great business leaders and champions. Sometimes we need guidance on the types of questions we ask.
In business there are only truly three levels of questions: These include:
- Strategic: These are what and why questions. What are we going to be focusing on? Why is that so important? The why question is the benefit questions. Find the answer to that question and you have earned your salary. What and why questions are the accountability questions. It has to be where the bulk stops.
- Tactical: These are the questions that professionals ask the most. They include who, how, when, how much. Perfect for the mid level planners and people responsible for getting work done – the doing. These questions must be linked to the strategic questions.
- Operational: Always fun as they are the here and now questions. It is like the phone rings and you had to pick it up, deal with the issue and move onto the next thing. No doubt you use the ‘what and why’ question as in what do you want and why should I care. But most likely you are the who, the know how and need to get it done, when.
All these, the strategic, the tactical and the operational are levels within your organization. They are all linked by the questions we ask, the answers we get and the actions we take. Listen to the questions you ask about your business. The response is in the ask.
Question: What questions do you ask about your business to get people thinking about making it better?
