Simple Questions give Brilliant Answers
Antti Eklund and Minna Isoaho
This book is about great leadership.
Great leders ask simple questions.
Great leders are great listeners.
Second Edition.
This ebook is published by Antti Eklund and Minna Isoaho at Smashwords.
This ebook is licenced for your personal enjoyment only.
This ebook canot be re-sold or given away to other people.
Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Original paperback published Antti Eklund and Minna Isoaho.
Copyright © Antti Eklund and Minna Isoaho 2010.
SQBA® is a registered trademark © Antti Eklund and Minna Isoaho.
e-book ISBN 978-1-4524-3096-6
ISBN 978-952-92-7284-6
Learn the power of SQBA
We dedicate this book to all inspired leaders like you.
Over-managed and under-led organizations often fail.
Inspiring leaders have the power and responsibility to steer organizations, companies and countries toward a prosperous future.
Our lives are in your hands.
We hope that this book will encourage you to ask more simple questions. Your questions will influence the way people around you behave. This influence will directly affect their contribution at work, at home and in their communities.
We hope that asking simple questions will help you listen and see clues and signals around you. We also hope that you have the courage to register and act on what you hear.
Simple Questions give Brilliant Answers.
The Power of SQBA will change the future of your organization. It will give a brand new start for you, your family and your employees.
START YOUR SQBA
Progress
is room
for thought.
A great leader is a workaholic.
A great leader is wise, hardworking and quick in action.
A great leader is certain where the industry is heading.
But the world doesn´t stop there, it keeps changing. More and more emotional understanding and tacit knowledge are needed to lead. Your opportunity is to capitalize on this very humane and friendly transformation.
A good way to adapt is to be simple, slow and lazy. Being simple means you have the ability to give apprehensible goals and the courage to ask simple questions. Being slow means you have the ability to give room for thought and listen to alternative ideas. Being lazy means you trust your talent and encourage new innovations for shortcuts, speed and efficiency.
A great leader communicates by asking and listening. Sharing is leading, sharing makes goals visible. A great leader trusts talent. A great leader takes full responsibility. With these a leader prepares his organization, and its each individual, to strike when needed and execute with swiftness.
Laziness is a desire not to waste time on insignificant things.
For those in doubt, we give passion.
The most recognized leaders are known for their strong opinions and unquestionable vision for the future. For every imaginable problem they have an immediate solution. They have all the answers.
Well, this is history. The world keeps revolving and needs keep evolving.
The fact that great leaders are outstanding remains unchanged. Passion is still the defining core for leadership. The difference is that passion is now directed to people and behavior instead of numbers.
Numbers will follow automatically, people won’t.
Leaders who only manage numbers are managers. As sole leaders they can be dangerous for the company and the well being of its personnel.
Profit is not just a consequence of managing economics anymore. Profit and success is defined by a complex web of immaterial behavior that is managed by leadership. Leadership is hard work. It looks easy when you know how. And it feels right when you combine passion with patience.
“A business that makes nothing but money is a poor kind of business.”
- Henry Ford
LIFE
Does the Queen fart too?
Reality Check no 1:
Does the Queen fart?
Do CEO´s wipe their butt?
If they do, with which hand do they do it with?
Does the Queen fart? - Yes, she does. And so does the CEO.
Why do so many executives have a tendency to forget that they are human beings and responsible to the world and to other people?
Why do so many executives fail to see the meaningful order of importance?
We are only human.
Nothing more.
Nothing less.
How would YOU adjust the mirrors?
Reality Check no 2: What if your business becomes successful?
Who do you become?
After having created an extremely successful company and sold it to a large corporation, my wife and I went on a series of round the world trips. This time we were in Australia. Having gotten used to luxurious cars, I wanted to rent a Lexus LX with all the bells and whistles. When I got to the rental agency, I could not believe that they had not followed up on my request. What they got me was a very basic diesel Land Cruiser. I was totally upset. Unfortunately there was no other option, so I started to examine the car. There were no toys. Still upset, I was looking for the electric controls to adjust the mirrors. Unable to locate them I asked the lady “How do you adjust the mirrors?” The lady looked at me with kind eyes, grabbed the mirror and adjusted it by hand. This was an eye opening moment. After a couple of seconds I realized that this was the way I adjusted my mirrors for more than 15 years before I could afford luxury cars. It made me realize that I had lost touch with reality. I got to love the Land Cruiser on the 2000 kilometers on washboard roads and the diesel engine for fording.
I don’t think the Lexus would have made it.
Does success make you good or god?
Reality Check no 3: Has success changed you?
I had built a successful company, and I was giving a big dinner party. I was living on the edge of decadence. I went to a high-end store in Hollywood, a place known for its capacity to deal with "holiwood types". I was astounded that they were not able to provide me with a rack of lamb with 12 pieces in it! I demanded it, I said I don´t care how much it costs. The butcher was apologetic, but they could not provide me with a rack of lamb with 12 pieces, only 8.
It was only later that I realized that a lamb only has 8 ribs.
Does your business get hurt because you have lost touch with reality?
What do your employees think, when they see you surf on a different planet? Does it build their confidence in you? How to make sure you don’t change too much after becoming a recognized leader? Do you remember to look at the mirror every once in the while? And do you know how to adjust the mirrors in case they are not adequately set?
“A learned blockhead is a greater blockhead than an ignorant one.”
- Benjamin Franklin
Suck out the goodness.
Do you sleep well? Do you dream sweet dreams?
I’ve dreamt all my life. Except on two occasions.
They both originated from my mistake in hiring judgement. I ended up having some excessively negative people on my teams. You have to experience it to realize it: these "dementors" can enter your life and suck out the goodness in you. If you go to sleep without the ability to sleep well enough to dream, something is wrong. The performance of my teams was deteriorating due to this continuous negative influence. Not being able to dream was a clear sign of trouble for me.
The consequences are wider than just your mood. People have the ability to "smell trouble". They stay clear, they start to avoid being near you. The good news is that they are quick to return when things are back to normal.
I was able to remove this performace obstacle by restaffing my teams. Immediately things changed for the better, without any extra effort. As definite proof for a better atmosphere, two of our companies reached their best sales quarters in a long time.
”If you think hiring professionals is expensive, try hiring amateurs”
- Unknown
When will your name be carved in stone?
Where do you want to see your name written?
Is your name embroidered or carved?
Where?
1) Your name is on the shirt.
2) Your name is on the desk.
3) Your name is on the door.
4) Your name is on the building.
If you prefer your name on the building, have you paid enough attention to the names on the shirts? They are the ones who keep your business running.
What if you die tomorrow?
What if you die tomorrow?
Is it time to draft your Will?
Is it time to check your course at least?
What if you die tomorrow?
Do you wish to relive your life?
Or parts of it?
How many years would you need?
What is your legacy?
What will people remember you from?
Will they miss you?
What if you don’t die tomorrow, but keep on working instead?
What would your true driver be?
What if you don’t die tomorrow, but just lose your job instead?
What would you actually lose?
Would you miss it?
What would your successor hold on to?
What would your staff want to hold on to?