October 15

Right Now

What is the most powerful question you can ask your team or collabora- tors? I’m a big believer in, “Is there anything can I do for you right now?” A lot of managers toss out, “Let me know if I can do anything for you,” or “Let me know how I can be of help,” but team members often don’t take them seriously because those phrases are too generic and vague. They don’t mean anything, because they are a promise of some- thing to be done at an undetermined time in the future about a yet to be

experienced problem.

However, adding the qualifier “right now” implies urgency. It means,

“I will drop everything at this moment and take care of your issue.” It’s a promise of immediate action. Simply adding that qualifier to the end of the question completely reframes it. It shows the person you’re commu- nicating with that you are serious.

As you interact with others today, strive to avoid vagaries and empty offers of help. Instead, add a sense of precision and seriousness to your offer by indicating that you will act right now.

Asking, “What can I do for you right now?” is a powerful way of showing that you are committed to helping your team or collabora- tors success.

QUESTION

Who can you ask this question of today?