Year-End Reflection: Questions That Cut Through Mental Clutter and Create Clarity.
“The quality of everything we do depends on the quality of the thinking we do first” – Nancy Kline.
An assumption is an uninvestigated thought (which is often not true) yet yields enormous power over us.
How often have you assumed what someone would say, assumed what they would think of you or assumed a bad outcome for you if you took action on something?
This belief then defines your next step, or more likely, your lack of action in the situation. Perhaps you need to present a document to the team, but you're avoiding it because you assume it needs to be perfect or you'll be judged. So you delay until there is no more time left, and you're drop-kicked into action.
You do the presentation, and guess what? You are a resounding success. All that inner narrative and assumption of failure and anxiety was for nothing.
Here's the thing: having these fears is deeply human. But when we let assumptions drive us into inaction or retreat, we rob ourselves and others of valuable contributions. The key isn't to eliminate these thoughts but to recognise them as what they are – assumptions that deserve to be questioned.
This is where Nancy Kline's concept of Incisive Questions comes into play. In her groundbreaking book "Time to Think," she introduces these questions as tools to dismantle limiting assumptions and create space for fresh thinking. An Incisive Question doesn't just challenge our assumptions – it replaces them with liberating alternatives that unlock new possibilities.
For instance, rather than letting the assumption "I'm not ready" hold you back, you might ask yourself: "If I knew my perspective was valuable, how would I approach this presentation?" Or "If I trusted that my work would benefit the team, what would I do differently?"
As you navigate the final weeks of 2024, let's explore how Incisive Questions can transform your thinking and empower you to take bold new actions.
Ask these for a new perspective.
If you were to become the Chief Executive, what problem would you solve first, and how would you do it?
If you knew that you were vital to the organisation's success, how would you approach your work?
If things could be exactly right for you in this situation, how would they have to change?
If you were not to hold back in your life, what would you be doing?
If you knew that you were as intelligent as your bosses, how would you present yourself to them?
If you found out that someone you love very much is going to die tomorrow, what would you want to be sure to say to them today?
If you could trust that your children would be fine, what would you do with the rest of your life?
If a doctor told you that your life depends on changing the way you live, what would you do first for yourself?
If you trusted that your excellence would not put others in your shadow, what would your goals be?
Creating a Thinking Environment.
Nancy shares that the first job of a leader is to create a Thinking Environment from top to bottom. A Thinking Environment is a set of conditions that allow people to think for themselves with clarity, creativity, and rigour.
As a leader, this means listening long and with ease and asking incisive questions. Consider these to create a different kind of performance review or check-in:
Ask these for a new kind of performance review.
What do you think you have accomplished in this period?
What has gone particularly well?
What are you proud of?
What have you discovered about yourself?
What is the key thing that you want to improve?
What might you be assuming that could stop you?
If you assumed something more freeing, what would your first step be?
What sort of support do you need from me in order to do it?
What do you think your goals and targets for this next period should be?
And what will your performance indicators be?
What other issues would you like to raise with me?
If it were entirely up to you, what would you like to see improve in our working relationship?
Ask these often of your team or staff:
What do you really think?
If you were in my position, what would you do with this company that I am not doing?
What do we as an organisation assume that probably limits everything we do? If we were to assume something more freeing, what would change?
At the end of your career in this organisation, what do you want to say you have achieved here when you look back?
What needs improvement in this organisation that I haven't noticed? If you had to take the lead suddenly, what would you do about it?
What are we not facing that is in front of our faces?
How would your work have to change for it to be exactly right for you?
If you were not holding back, what would you be doing?
What do we already know now that we are going to find out in a year?
Ask these often of yourself:
What do I assume about myself most of the time that is limiting my leadership? If I were to assume something more liberating, what would change?
If I weren't afraid, what would I be risking?
If I already knew that I am good and admired, how would I champion others today?
If I were to be my real self in my leadership, what would I do differently?
Whom among the people most junior to me can I invite to think with me today?
What can I do today to create more of a Thinking Environment in the organisation?
What would I have to do to set up dependable thinking time for myself every day?
Ask these when facing a setback.
What is in my face that I am not facing?
What is the worst thing that can happen if I face this? What is the worst thing that can happen if I don't?
What am I assuming that makes me turn away from this?
What do you already know that you are going to find out in a year?
Final thoughts.
As we wind down 2024, reflection becomes our most powerful ally. But what if we approached this reflection differently?
Instead of diving straight into goal-setting, consider first exploring the assumptions that might be quietly blocking your aspirations. What unexamined beliefs might be holding you back? By creating incisive questions to challenge these assumptions, you open doors to possibilities you might never have considered.
In her book, Nancy describes Kyle, who feels that his days run away with him and that he has no control over his life. Ultimately, his goal is to find a way to live differently.
His incisive question would be: If you knew that you were the only one who has control over your life, what would you do to live differently? This provides a new set of possibilities and options.
The beauty of incisive questions lies in their flexibility. They don't demand perfection – they invite exploration. Unlike rigid beliefs that can feel like permanent barriers, questions create space for discovery and growth. They give us permission to imagine new solutions and pathways forward.
Instead of starting January with a familiar list of resolutions, why not begin with a new way of thinking? After all, transformative change often starts not with what we do, but with how we think about what's possible.
As 2025 approaches, consider this: Your most powerful new beginning might not be a goal at all, but rather a question that opens your mind to fresh horizons.
Here’s to new ways of thinking,
Warm wishes,
Lori