What is the Question?

If you’ve been reading this newsletter for awhile, you know that I value conversations with fellow boss ladies– especially those who are just about to set out on their own.  I wrote about this in the “You Have a Village” newsletter.

I recently had a conversation with a person who is at an inflection point in their career. This person is deep into gearing up for a career transition.  They’ve convinced themselves that because they have been with the same organization for a long time, they will have to figure out how to “market” their skills and “pivot” into something else.

As we were chatting, I was reminded of my Leadership Coaching training.  During that training, we learned the value of a well placed, thoughtful question to help someone move forward on their path.  So I said, “Have you thought about whether you’re asking the right question?”

This really shifted the conversation, and this person’s mindset.  They had made up their mind that they would have to go through a prescribed process.  It was clear to me in just a short conversation that this person had a remarkable skill set that would be incredibly valuable in many settings– I shared that with them and invited them to think a bit differently about their approach to this transition.

I have found so often in life, and in work, when you’re feeling stuck on a problem… try asking a different question.