To reduce uncertainty and to inform their thinking, team members often raise questions they believe would add value to the decision-making and strategic planning process. They advocate that the team should invest the time, energy and resources to take a deep dive to generate an answer to an important question.
Some examples:
- “What are our competitors doing about this issue?”
- “What is the organization ‘s view on the decision?”
- “Can we influence regulations surrounding our choice?”
- “What does a financial analysis reveal about the risks involved?”
- “What would a pilot or test expose about the flaws in our thinking?”
Curious team members ask a lot of good questions: Questions for insight, questions for guidance, questions for exploration, questions for understanding. Good leaders do their best to answer them or direct energy and resources to have others find a quality answer. But this can significantly slow down the decision process and add unnecessary complexity.
Good leaders know that not all questions deserve the investment it takes to create a quality response. Some questions, as interesting as they might be, must be ignored. The criterion for making this call is straightforward. Questions worth the investment to answer will change what we do.
Before investing in answering a question, good leaders ask, “So What?”
Once we have the answer, will it change our approach or choice? When they know it won’t, they skip passed the inquiry and direct their attention toward data and information that has a direct impact on what will be decided.
In far too many cases, team members raise questions that when answered will make no difference in action or choice. Such “academic“ questions waste time and resources.
The rule is simple: If knowing the answer to any inquiry won’t alter the decision, modify the approach, or shift behavior—however intellectually stimulating it might be—then it needs to be ignored.
Good leaders ask, “So What?” to every question raised, finding an answer to those that matter and placing the rest in the Wouldn’t-It-Be-Nice-To-Know pile. They accept that there is always more information and insight that would be intellectually satisfying to understand. But they value the time of those involved and the speed to decisions much more.
How many “academic” questions does your team raise and answer? Stop wasting time with inquiry that doesn’t really matter. Decision speed depends on it.
