Three Good Questions

There are usually only three questions that matter… And that sounds like a set up for a cheap over-simplification of some kind.  Perhaps it is, but there are  three questions - when asked and answered honestly - that keep working for me. They work as a basis for strategic planning, they work as way to solve day-to-day issues and they work, in some cases, when you are stuck on some recurring personal obstacle. They are roughly as follows:

1 - What the F#&* is really going on here?

2- (given #1) Am I’m paying attention to the right things?

3 - (given 1 and 2) What policy changes do I make?

This flow forces you to first get close to whatever the real obstacles are -  to perform a diagnosis of the situation honestly and openly (Dalio might say "to get a more perfect synthesis of reality"). Then it helps you see how that reality is aligned to where your head is normally at and decide if there is a deliberate change you can make that will realistically overcome the obstacle.

Sometimes you realize you are not ready to diagnose a situation, at least not in a way you really believe - so there is no point trying to push for a change. Sometimes you feel you really understand a situation, but if you're honest about it, everything you are doing every day seems to be focused on the opposite direction - so you need to figure out why that is before you can start to think about a policy change.

The first question is the hardest and most interesting for me - e.g. you have a killer product, but you keep missing sales targets: What the F is really going on here? Is it that the CRO can't forecast because math is hard? Is that your target audience needs better education on the wonders of your product? or is it that your space is super noisy, and no one cares enough that your product is 20% better to buy on your timeline? The diagnosis you embrace will profoundly dictate how you think about your focus and your actions.

Finally, I like the using word “policy” in question three.  To me, it’s meant to mean a deliberate change in how you do things. For instance a strategic issue might generate a policy change like this - we will no longer try to increase revenue by selling this product to these types of customers.  Or, if the action is to address a nagging personal/professional issue, it might be – I will no longer ask questions in meetings just to sound smart.

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Stop, who approaches the bridge of death
Must answer me these questions three, 'ere the other side he see
Ask me the questions bridge keeper, I'm not afraid
What is your name?
Sir Robin of Camelot
What is your quest?
To seek the Holy Grail
What is the capital of Assyria?
I don't know that, ahh!

Monty Python and the Holy Grail , 1975