What Gets Us Into Trouble - Or, Why Ask Why?

“What gets us into trouble," Yogi Berra once observed “is not what we don’t know, but what we know for sure that just ain’t so!”

What gets us into trouble is when we know for sure what to do – but in fact we don’t have a clue.

I sat in on a meeting with a coaching client and one of his employees. The employee’s job is to study a market they intend to enter and help prepare the company for entry.

“The first thing we need to do, and I am sure of it, is get our website up,” the employee told me.

“Why?” I asked.

“Because we need to set up a website, get it optimized in Google and see how the first few sales will go so I can better understand how the sales process should work,” he said.

“Wait. You’re telling me that you need to better understand how the sales process will work, and you’ve decided that a website is the best way to get there?” I asked.

“Yes, because any customer will ask to see our website before anything else.”

“That sounds like an awful expensive and drawn out way to determine how the sales process will work. How will you know when your understanding is sufficient? What is missing? What do you need to understand that isn’t clear now?”

“That’s a very good question,” he said and thought for a bit before rattling off a number of things: “I need to know how we will close with clients, what kind of agreements we will use, how we will invoice, how we will accept payment, how we will receive their files, process them, return them and generate back end sales… So I guess a web site really is just a small part of that…” he admitted. “We really need to work through the steps in the sales and fulfillment process so that I have a better understanding of how it will work.”

By simply asking “Why?” and listening to the answer I saved my client months of his employee’s time – and much of his own; time that would have been wasted on building the perfect chisel instead of sculpting a remarkable statue.

People often become attached to a specific tactic, idea, tool or path – forgetting to ask “Wait, tell me again WHY are we doing this?”

Dov Gordon’s CEO Thought-Provoker Questions:

1. How much time and expense is wasted on “knowing for sure when it just ain’t so” by people quickly choosing a tool (website, database, training program, compensation structure, marketing message, strategy, etc.) without really understanding what they are ultimately trying to accomplish?
   

2. Ask “WHY?” When someone says “First we have to do THIS,” recognize that “this” is a means to an end. What is the OUTCOME we want to achieve and what other roads can take us there? Have we really studied and compared the various alternatives? How will “this” alternative help us reach our goals?

3. Suggestion: Few people ask the right questions. In less than an hour and a half my audio book will teach you a few simple tools that will make you one of the clearest thinkers in your organization. The first third of program is free and available for immediate download at www.Superior-Strategy.com The program is called “If You Are Implementing Your Strategy – You Don’t Have One!” The full program includes a printable workbook to help you master the lessons. Why not check it out now?

READ WHAT THESE FOLKS HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THIS AUDIO BOOK PROGRAM:

"The greatest compliment I can give a book or audio program is, 'It caused me to take action.' The second best is, 'It made me think.' Dov's audio and workbook program, 'If You Are 'Implementing' Your Strategy—You Don't Have One,' accomplishes both—and I do strategy consulting!"

-- Bruce Johnson, President, Make it Remarkable, LLC. (In a past life, Bruce founded and led his church from two to two thousand members.) www.BruceDJohnson.com

“Dov, your audio book on strategic thinking presents a philosophy and process that is clearer, more sensible and more actionable than any other approach I’ve seen. Additionally, I enjoyed the numerous real life examples you used to illustrate your points, especially the story of the Curta. - Skip Weisman, President, Weisman Success Resources, Inc. www.WeismanSuccessResources.com