There are five vital questions that you must ask yourself regularly if you want to lead and perform at your very best:
First: What am I trying to do? Define the ideal goal or outcome that you are striving for before you begin. If you are working with others, make sure that everybody is crystal clear about the “what,” the desired result, before anyone starts work.
Second: How am I trying to do it? Make sure that this is the best way. Ask if there could be another way. Always remain open to the possibility that you could be wrong. Think through and analyze your approach to be sure that it is the very best way to go about achieving your goal or objective.
Third: What are my assumptions? Are you making any assumptions with regard to the market, the actions or performance of other people, the underlying motives of the key players, or the outcome of future events? Remember, as Alec McKenzie wrote, “Errant assumptions lie at the root of most failures.”
Fourth: What if your assumptions were wrong? What if something that you believed to be true turned out not to be true at all? Perhaps someone you are negotiating with is only using this negotiation with you in order to get a better price or deal from someone else. Always be willing to question your most cherished assumptions.
Fifth: What would I have to do differently if my key assumptions were wrong? What would you do if this approach failed completely? What are your alternatives? If you were not now doing it this way, would you start it over again? Always be willing to ask the question, “How else could I go about achieving this same result?”
