Three questions to predict your success
Imagine a world where you can diagnose the likelihood of a change being successful in minutes.
This is what the Three ‘killer’ questions give you.
The power of the questions comes from the self-awareness they cause in the stakeholders, sponsors, and team. They change the conversation to focus on the benefits, risks and to raise awareness of the change strategies for success.
The questions are the start of the conversation and give you the opportunity to enquire further.
The Three Questions
Question One: Does anyone need to know, do, or believe something differently for [this change] to be successful?
Why: This question establishes whether behavioural change is required to get to the outcomes. If it is, then the human factor cannot be ignored.
How it works: It causes the answerer to think through the implications of the change, rather than the product that is being created.
So What: Changes reliant on a behavioural change need a change strategy.
Question Two: How much of your benefits depend on people knowing, doing, or believing something differently?
Why: Having established that behavioural change is required, this question shifts the focus to the benefits and connects the two.
How it works: Framing the change in the context of the benefit statements makes the impact of the change feel real. The ‘how much’ requires the answerer to consider the source of the benefits and to quantify them. Once that number has been verbalised, it becomes firm in the answerer’s mind. 80% of $10m is $8m. The scale and importance of the behavioural change have been established.
So What: A change that has a high impact on the benefits, should have a high impact change strategy with outcomes that are monitored and managed closely.
Question Three: Are there any consequences for not knowing, doing, or believing differently? Or ‘Will anyone get fired for not doing this’?
Why: If there are no consequences, the likelihood of the change being achieved is reduced significantly, especially in an environment where there are competing priorities.
How it works: The question is deliberately provocative, to disrupt the enthusiasm and excitement that exists within the design team.
This question prompts stakeholders and sponsors to consider the importance of the change to the organisation in the context of other priorities. It raises awareness of the influence structure within the organisation as they think through who would apply the consequences.
So What: Changes without consequences are optional and depend on the willingness of your targets to do something differently of their own choice.
Without consequences, it will take longer to influence and persuade targets, adding to the costs and effort and making it harder to guarantee the penetration of the change through the organisation and with that, the delivery of the benefits.
How to use
For the greatest impact, ask these questions of your stakeholder or team members, to increase their own self-awareness.
Calculate the benefits at risk. 80% of $10m = $8m at risk. Remind others that this is what you are mitigating.
If there are few, or no consequences, look for ways to work within the current beliefs.
