What is the one question to ask to help us to turn things around?
According to Brian Johnson, this question is our secret weapon. He calls it the hero’s wand because it has the power to transform bad situations into something good.
What do I want?
Asking this question moves us from victim to creator. We ask: If I could wave a wand at this challenge, what would I like to happen? What is the desired outcome?
An alternate version of this question is: What am I here to learn?
It’s not win or lose.
It’s win or learn.
Instead of catastrophizing the situation, Brian writes, we alchemize it. Doing so transforms the challenge we are facing into kindling for the hero’s fire.
A key part of Brian Johnson’s year-long Optimize Mastery course is learning to ask questions. Of ourselves. And others.
Brian shares three questions to ask ourselves (as well as our teams) after any significant occurrence:
What was awesome?
What needs work?
How can I optimize it for the future?
These questions are part of the Active Learning Cycle. Danny Friedland, author of Leading Well from Within, calls this cycle “the Infinite Curriculum” because it never stops.
1. We have an experience.
2. We reflect on that experience.
3. We decide to take action.
Which leads to another experience… about which we reflect… and then we decide to take action… and so on…
Better questions = Better result.
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Reflection: What challenge am I facing?
Action: Ask: What is it I want?