I will admit to not being the most perceptive person in the world.
Even if I would not admit it, however, my wife would tell you that (assuming she reads the blog, which she does not).
In any event, over the course of my career - and I'm sure yours as well - it's been imperative to get better at addressing the right strategic thinking questions to read other people's interests, priorities, and behaviors. This is vital to making sure we can help someone else be more successful. Often, there is a clear tie between facilitating overall business success and whether you can assist an individual leader in becoming more personally successful.
What do you watch for to get a good read on someone else?
This question surfaced recently while trying to anticipate whether someone would engage and actually take action to move an initiative ahead. Up until that point, the person was talking a good game, but not delivering on the talk.
21 Strategic Thinking Questions for Reading Someone Else
This is not an exhaustive list of strategic thinking questions for reading someone else, but it is the list running through the back of my head based on this recent experience:
- What things intrigue this person?
- Where does he/she spend her time?
- Does the time investment match up with what money, words, and visible behaviors suggest are most important?
- What is the ratio over time between this person being successful and falling short?
- What events or patterns always happen when the person is successful?
- What events or patterns always happen when the person falls short?
- How does the person talk about others?
- What do other people around this person have to say about him/her?
- Is the person timely most of the time?
- Do they focus on the big picture, the details, or both?
- Do they get it right on the big picture, the details, or both?
- Does this person act in largely consistent patterns, and if so, what are they?
- Is this person predictable or not?
- If the person isn't predictable, are they predictably unpredictable or not?
- How can you fit seemingly disconnected pieces about the person into a bigger story that suggests future behavior?
- What personal strengths does he/she gravitate toward?
- Which personal strengths does he/she avoid?
- What personal weaknesses doesn't this person realize?
- How often does the person do what he/she says?
- How often does the person do things he/she doesn't talk about in advance?
- Can this person think outside him/herself, or is it all about what's good for him/her?
What does your arsenal of strategic thinking questions for reading others include? – Mike Brown
