THE A.W.E. QUESTION

#45 - The A.W.E. Question is "And What Else" -- the question to ask when all others have been asked and answered.  There is always more to discover about any problem and there are always more than two choices.  Keep asking "And What Else."

Transcript

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Hello and welcome to Keys For New Leaders, a podcast Serving Leaders Serving Others.  This is your host, Dr. Charles Boyer, but it’s just Charlie to you, my friend.  Thank you so much for listening.  Serving Leaders Serving Others is what we’re all about.  In this series of podcasts, my goal is to serve you, the new leader, helping you serve others through sharing ideas, helpful hints, suggestions, inspiration, insights, encouragement and sometimes a laugh or two to lighten the load along the way.

This is Episode #45, the A.W.E. QUESTION.  The letters A, W, and E stand for “And What Else?” – the question to ask when all the other questions have been asked and answered.  

The A.W.E. QUESTION was coined by Australian/Canadian leadership expert Michael Bungay Stanier, and it is one of the most powerful questions to ask.

Just think for a minute how that question could be applied in your role as leader.  It is fairly common for small groups or committees to get stuck on resolving an issue or solving a problem.  When your group has come up with, let’s say, two possible solutions to a problem, then it’s time to ask, “And What Else?” – and then wait for other possibilities to begin to emerge.  Give it time.  It takes people  awhile to unlock their creative thinking.  Keep asking.

Other possibilities?  Yes, there are always more.  I once worked with a senior administrator whose favorite response to a problem and its solution was, “well, there are two sides to every pancake.”  That’s true, but it’s also an example of limited thinking about other possibilities.  There are more than two sides to that pancake.  There’s a top side, a bottom side, there are sides or edges with some depth to them, an inside, an outside – can you think of others?  We’re often too easily satisfied with a simple answer or a limited choice of possibilities.  Unlock the limitations on your thinking, and just see what begins to happen!  Is the glass half full or half empty?  Are there more than two possible answers to that question?  How many different answers can you think of?

Maybe you remember from your school days those old multiple-choice questions on tests.  We used to call them multiple-guess tests.  There were always more than two choices of answers to each question.  There were sometimes three, sometimes five choices of answers, from “A” to “E.”  To test our knowledge, the teachers would sometimes offer several different options, such as “both A and B” are correct, or “All of the above” or even “None of the above.”    There are ALWAYS more than just “A” or “B” answers.  Keep asking And What Else!  

Here’s a funny example from student days:  there was often a rumor circulated that when in doubt, pick choice “B.”  Well, that didn’t always work, but just for fun, I once gave a 20-point quiz where all the correct answers WERE “B.”  It fooled some of the students, and we all had a good laugh about it.  By the way, I didn’t count these scores for the students’ grades.  

The And What Else Question helps open up new possibilities, deeper thoughts, and stir people out of their comfort zone.  Asking the A.W.E. Question requires you to adopt a mindset that is open, non-judgmental, curious and helpful.  If asked in just the right way, the A.W.E. Question helps YOU listen more to others and talk less.  Remember – we have two ears and one mouth for a reason.

Getting good results with asking the A.W.E. Question requires some careful preparation from YOU, the leader.  It doesn’t just happen.  People often are more than a bit reluctant to contribute their thoughts, ideas, or suggestions in front of others.  YOU, as leader, must clearly establish a safe working environment where people feel free to contribute without judgment or reprisal.  Here are a few suggestions you may want to use:

• As leader, assure everyone that “We are looking for the BEST answer,” not just the easiest, most popular or most convenient.  All answers are welcome and encouraged.
• Insist that “There are no wrong answers.”  Encourage open, free expression of ideas.  Everyone is encouraged to speak without interruption.
• Make it clear in a friendly way that “There is no ‘yeah-but brigade’ here,”   The “yeah-but brigade” --that’s those idea squelchers in nearly any group who can think of more “can not” than “can” ways to solve any problem.
• And most of all, announce that “There are no ‘advice monsters’ here.” Advice monsters are the ones who have been there, done that, and know all about it.  Just ask them.

It takes time, no small amount of patience, and a few uncomfortable silences for the A.W.E. question to begin to work.  People in a group, even a familiar group, often are reluctant to offer a suggestion, an idea, a thought for fear of judgment from others.  Be patient and reassuring that when ideas are being generated, that is not the time for any criticism or judgment of whatever the idea is, no matter how preposterous it may seem at the time.  Good ideas and sometimes spectacular results often come from something preposterous.  Landing people on the Moon?  Preposterous.  Yet it has happened.

I’ve sometimes used questions like these following ones to loosen up the group, ease any tension, and encourage more creative thinking:

• What’s the most fun way we can make this happen?
• What’s the most ridiculous way you can think of to solve this problem?
• What’s the most outrageous thing we can do with this?

Questions such as these begin to unlock creative thoughts, ideas, suggestions, and out of the most bizarre answers often come really good suggestions or solutions.

Some Ways to generate ideas might include a question like:  “What has been most successful for our group this past year?”  Encourage everyone to offer a thought or idea.  When the ideas stop coming, then it’s time to ask “And What Else?” And wait.  The creative thoughts will begin to stir.

The next question could be something like this:  “How can we build on these successes in the coming year?”  Wait for some answers and then ask “And What Else?”

A possible follow-up to the previous question could be:  “What’s stopping us?” And follow up with “And What Else?”

Do you see how this powerful question can work?  It takes time and practice like anything else, and the discipline to sit in silence and wait until the creative ideas begin to percolate and pop out.  It’s an amazing process!

And now it’s time for those Three Questions that I ask toward the end of each podcast episode.  These questions are just for you, my friend, and nobody will know your answers but you.  Here are the questions:

1.   What has been most helpful to you in this episode?
2.   What actions has this episode prompted you to take?
3.   And What Else? 

The Special Key for this episode must be the Key of A, known for its bright, sparkling and exuberant qualities.  The Key of A is regarded as one that embodies confidence, hope, sincerity, brightness and uplifting energy.  The Key of A fits perfectly with the question, And What Else?

At this point in the podcast, I usually announce what topic will be coming in the next episode.  However, it feels to me that it’s time to pause this podcast series, take a deep breath, and do some more research on other topics that present themselves for another series.  I have enjoyed bringing these thoughts and discussions to you, and I do hope that they have been helpful to you.  I especially appreciate the more than 7200 listeners to this series of podcasts from 77 different countries around the world.  I want to leave you with a repeat from Episode #1 of this series:

Keys for New Leaders is designed with YOU in mind – giving you some practical tips, suggestions, helpful hints, and insights – that are important to help YOU become a BETTER leader.    Why BETTER?  Well, that’s easy.  If you’re a GOOD leader, a GREAT leader, you can ALWAYS be BETTER!  And you’ll get plenty of KEYS to help you be a BETTER leader.  

The podcast episodes will still be available online if you wish to revisit any of them or pass them along to someone who may be a new leader or one who is interested in helping new leaders survive and thrive.  Here’s a link to access the podcasts -- all small letters and no spaces between words: keysfornewleaders.buzzsprout.com

Thank you for listening, thanks for your commitment to becoming a better leader, and thanks for continuing to ask that all-important question:  And What Else?   Blessings to you ALL.