Can One Question Transform Everything?

By Les Mottosky

Questions. The magic, the shift, the change, the gold is always in the questions.

From Grade One we’re conditioned to worship the answers. Months earlier, we were all about the questions: Why this? Why that? Why then? Why there? The questions drove our daily engagement (while driving our parents bonkers). Then the system gets its claws in us, and the definitive begins to smother the mystery.

So if questions hold the magic, is there one that can change everything?
I believe there is. And bonus: it’s scalable.

This is it: What am I capable of now?

Why is it powerful? Because it leverages the distinction that defines humanity. Far as we know, humans are the only critter aware of — and able to limit, explore, or expand — its capacity. This awareness is the key to our superpower: adaptation. And adaptation is the force multiplier of our capacity.

So, why is now necessary? Because each of us is a different person today than we were yesterday; cellularly, chemically, temporally. The only thing freezing us in time is the narrative we carry about ourselves. Asking this question disrupts that narrative. It’s the 900-degree laser beam that melts the icebound story of who we believe ourselves to be. It includes the assets of the past — the experience, knowledge, and growth we’ve accumulated — but it roots us in the present and mobilizes us toward a possibility-rich future.

Even better: What are we capable of now?

If a group explores this question in earnest, accountability enters the chat. But when people share a purpose, vision, and values, accountability is almost irrelevant. Their culture drives them. Culture, put simply is this: people like us do things like this.

Teams that hone in on “What are we capable of now?” begin to shape their future. When that question is before them, more ideas emerge than there are people in the room. More instigating actions become possible. The old cliché becomes reality: the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. That energy once trapped in a stagnant collective narrative is freed to build the future.

Leaders who run this exercise, capture the responses, build consensus, and adjust strategy accordingly can generate real transformation. Same for individuals in their own lives.

The only thing standing between you and everything you’re capable of is whether you’ll ask the question and then act on it...now.

TAGS: #Audacious Strategies #Wisdom In Leadership #Adaptation As Innovation #Humility at Work #Courage Is Our Nature

Les Mottosky

Adaptation Strategist // I help organizations turn creativity into their competitive advantage by aligning leadership, culture, and strategy to unlock adaptive innovations.

Ask about the Clarity Engine Process.

lesmottosky@mac.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/les-mottosky-9b94527/