What Matters to You – Simple Questions: How Do You Know? & Then What?

I’m in a time crunch today. I missed my deadline last week to get an article in, and it will be by the skin of my teeth if I can make it in this week.  The best-made plans of Mice and Men apparently are alive and well.  This week’s topic has been in the back of my mind for a long time, and it’s something I’d like to share that not only gets the conversation headed in a good direction but can help come up with some great ideas or plans.

Asking Questions

I had a person sit across the table from me once, telling me that we needed to diversify the economy (I agree), and the only way to do that was to build out solar farms and windmills everywhere. We needed to stop our conventional energy (oh yeah!) and limit the amount of beef production we had while we were at it. Usually, when I hear this type of lead-in, I nod and say something like,” You don’t say,” or “Is that right?” With this person in particular, I decided to push back and give the full attention because of the person’s “Holier than Thou” body posture and said, “Ok, I’ll bite”.

I just asked those two little questions, which were interchanged, like that old-trench-coat-wearing detective Columbo back in the 80s. They didn’t have the technical background, didn’t think about the ramifications, and didn’t know what would come next. They were all set to have some theoretical argument on the environment, the energy sector, heck, even the colour of the sky, but never saw someone asking them to lay out the plan or to ask more questions on something as simple as the next steps.

Learning how to and what questions to ask

I’ve been fortunate enough to have some great mentors who taught me these lessons over the years. When I was pitching something to them, or when they were checking up on me for a deliverable, or when I came up with a solution to a problem. How do you know, and then what? If a person takes the time to lay out the following steps or sometimes reverse plans from the desired outcome, they usually can troubleshoot the plan themselves. They then will have a few options in case of the “What Ifs” that pop up along the way, so invariably, one plan becomes three, and the chance of meeting the desired outcome becomes vastly improved.

So, when we look at legislation, and the ministers or my fellow members are pitching the bill, law, or regulation that they believe will solve a problem, often the most straightforward questions can reveal an amendment or change that was not contemplated. By the time it makes it through the policy committee, cabinet, caucus, and then into the house for debate, there literally have been thousands of people who have had their chance to offer input and ask questions. 

We have several pieces of legislation on the house floor right now that are being scrutinized, and there will likely be amendments to address the concerns raised or suggestions to improve them. The process can be very frustrating and lengthy, but it is intended to ensure that what we do is the right thing for most Albertans.

Active listening

Take the time to listen to others, take the time yourself before shooting out an idea to think about the what if, be prepared to receive comments and critical input, and be humble enough to take it, even from a detractor, because if you can prove your idea in a hostile environment, it is probably a great idea, and will survive on its own when you aren’t there to defend it. So keep asking me, How do you know? And I’ll keep asking, “What matters to you?”

Sincerely,

Shane Getson

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