Unlocking Your Problem-Solving Potential: Using the Power of 'What Does Good Look Like?'
“If you want better answers, ask better questions” ... like this one.
“If you want better answers, ask better questions.” Great advice, but what are these better questions? The one question that has helped me repeatedly is…
What does good look like?
When a meeting is going around in circles I ask, “What does good look like?” to shift people into talking about solutions instead of complaints. When I am stuck making a difficult decision I ask, “What does good look like?” to give me a higher perspective so I can define the most important outcomes.
And as useful as the question is in a conversation, it’s even more powerful when you write down your answers to, “What does good look like?” When you see your own answers on the page you can see how clear or unclear your thinking is.
Here are some examples in which “what does good look like?“ is useful…
Feeling frustrated with how your teammates are performing? For instance, your design team is working slowly, thus delaying development. Meanwhile, many of the designers are experiencing burnout.
What does good look like?
Your development teams never delay a feature because they are waiting on designs
The features that we ship are solving our clients’ problems and they find our products easy to use
The exceptional performers on the design team are not tempted to quit due to over-work.
Feeling anxious about an important presentation in which you will show the final options for a major rebrand?
What does good look like?
You can present your ideas without reading from your notes
You can confidently handle questions from the audience because you anticipated what they will ask
You can describe all of the options equally well, the pros and cons to each, and you can offer your opinion of which one the company should use.
You are unsure if the Design System you are about to launch is going to have the effect that you want.
What does good look like?
In 4 months, it should take your company 30% less time to design and develop new features
In 3 months, you should have no more accidental UI inconsistencies being deployed to production
The question “what does good look like?” can open up your thinking to a higher perspective and help you to see where you want to be. Asking this question can also help to unlock creative ideas that can help you to reach your goal. The answer to this question can keep you focused and take you from where you are to where you want to be.