In this post, we're stepping back to look at the challenges you face from a higher vantage point, building on this month's theme: creating the conditions you need to thrive as a leader.
What's the first question you ask yourself when facing a situation or challenge you've never seen before?
If you're like many leaders, it's likely some version of, What are we going to do about this? After all, solving problems is what leaders do.
The most important question.
Before jumping into solutions, take a step back and ask: What created the conditions for this to happen?
My good friend Tre' Cates, Founder of nRhythm, introduced me the power of this question.
We were sitting in a conference room overlooking a dry, patchy plot of grass dotted with dandelions.
"What do you see?" he said.
"I see grass that needs watering," I replied.
"Look closer."
We walked outside, and I noticed the soil was lifeless—no tiny insects, no worms, and barely any topsoil at all. Clearly, years of neglect had created these conditions. Thriving land requires biodiversity, where many species are contributing to the health of the ecosystem, but this land hand none.
Then, he shifted the conversation back to my challenge: a difficult interpersonal conflict within my organization.
He asked me to identify everything—over weeks, months, even years—that created the conditions for this conflict.
A new perspective.
Suddenly, I saw things differently.
For years, a group of stakeholders had been left out of key communications. They didn't know about the changes we were making, and they felt disconnected. Worse, I had been avoiding them, so it wasn't surprising that years of low-level tension boiled over into active frustration.
I realized I couldn't actually "fix" this conflict until I truly understood what had created it.
Applying this to your challenges.
Think about the biggest challenge you are facing right now. Maybe it's:
· A team member isn't equipped to succeed.
· A boss who doesn't seem to trust your decisions.
· Feeling stuck with no clear path to grow.
· Constant urgency is affecting your health.
· A lack of challenge is leading to boredom.
· Shifting strategies make your role feel uncertain.
Whatever it is, ask yourself: What created the conditions for this to happen?
An example: trust issues.
Take an example of a boss who doesn't seem to trust your decisions. What conditions might have led to this?
· I don't communicate enough.
· I don't share the information my boss needs to know.
· I rarely involve the right people before moving ahead.
· My boss is overwhelmed and distracted.
· We don't meet regularly to align.
· We disagree on priorities.
· I don't know what matters most to my boss.
· I don't trust my boss.
Now imagine you're trying to fix the trust issue without understanding these root causes. You'd likely address the wrong problem or create a surface-level solution that doesn't last.
Getting to the root.
This is why you must keep asking the question until you uncover the root cause.
In my case, I realized I didn't feel understood or valued, and instead of addressing it, I ignored the problem fueling the disconnect.
Leadership requires vulnerability and courage to own your part in creating the conditions you face.
Creating new conditions.
Once you understand what created the current conditions, you can ask a new question loaded with possibility and potential: What new conditions need to be created to get a different result?
For me, the answer was clear: I need to create conditions where I feel valued and understood, and I need to understand others too.
If you're feeling stuck or waiting for others to make things better, the agency you're seeking lies in these two questions:
1. What created the conditions for this to happen?
2. What new conditions need to be created to get a different result?
Master these, and you'll unlock new possibilities to thrive as a leader.
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