January is the perfect time to ask big questions

January comes from Janus, the god of beginnings, new paths and transitions in Roman mythology. The gateway to a new year, January is the perfect time to ask ourselves big questions.

If you’re like me, you’ll be thinking feverishly about where to focus your energy in the months ahead - what you can build and improve on for more fulfilment and impact, in business and in life this year.

We seek answers and certainty, instant solutions. But perhaps a better way to begin the year is to shift our focus to inquiry. To slow down, step back and ask good questions instead. For if we ask the right questions then clarity will follow.

“Questioning is good for us. It can help to open up new possibilities in our lives. It’s a first step in solving problems. It makes us more successful as leaders. People who ask a lot of questions tend to be more engaged in their lives, more fulfilled, and happier.”
Warren Berger, author of A More Beautiful Question

Step back. Ask yourself this one question

Rather than fixating on what we can do from here on in, how about we take a step back, breathe a while and ask ourselves a better question:

Q: What question will my work (and content) answer for the world this year?

This turns the challenge around from an inward focus on you and what you do to an outward focus on those you do it for. A powerful switch (from ‘me’ to ‘you’) and one that can transform the way you approach your work - and the way you communicate it - from here.

Whether you are looking for clarity on your business direction or content direction, this is an excellent question to ask right now. One that will unlock new ideas and stop you tying your thinking in knots.

Let me give you an example, then I’ll show you how it works.

This question-based strategy in action

The business that woke me up to the power of this simple question-based approach may surprise you. Back in 2013 I interviewed Richard Fray, digital marketing lead at HSBC Expat, the expat services division of the bank. I was extremely impressed by the content they were sharing - it was focused, outward looking and creative. I was curious to understand how they’d got to this level of clarity.

When I asked Richard about the drivers behind his content strategy he explained:

“If you moved abroad, what would you want to know? This is the question that guides the content that we create and share at HSBC Expat.”
Richard Fray, Senior Digital Marketing Manager, HSBC

This simple question is the guiding light. Everything they produce - guides, an annual survey, videos, hints, tips, interactive tools – is carefully designed to answer it. A thriving hub of valuable content that connected with the expat community and won them friends and business.

(You can read my interview with Richard here if you’re curious: Valuable Content Award for HSBC Expat - a bank with the human touch.)

The simplicity and power of this question-based strategy got me thinking. Business strategy (where you play and what you choose to do) and content strategy (how you communicate what you do, what you choose to say) are inextricably linked. If this question-based approach works so well for setting content focus and direction then perhaps it can help us set business direction too.

How to approach this question for you and your work

So, how to put this approach to work.

Q: What question will my work (and content) answer for the world* this year?

[* If ‘for the world’ feels a bit too big an ambition right now, change this to ‘what question can I answer for my community’. That should feel more achievable.]

Your answer needs to include three elements for maximum impact. It needs to include:

a subject (what type of work are we talking about here?)
an agent (for who?)
an outcome (for what result?)

I’m going to add a stretch exercise for you at the end too - what cornerstone content can you create in answer to this question?

Here are some examples

Let me show you how this works, using two of my favourite organisations - and my own business - to illustrate.

Both The Get Real Project and Community Organisers are my clients. They are well positioned in terms of strategic direction and focus, and clear on their content strategies too. I’ve tried January’s big question out on them to see how well it works.

1. The Get Real Project: thegetrealproject.com

The question they answer for the world: How can consultants and advisors create extraordinary client relationships and transform their business performance?

The subject - client relationships
The agents - consultants and advisers
The outcome - extraordinary client relationships that transform business performance

Example of cornerstone content: Check out the brilliant Get Real Manifesto.

2. Community Organisers: www.corganisers.org.uk

The question they answer for the world: How can we bring people together to take action on their common concerns and overcome social injustice?

The subject - social action/community action
The agents - people with common concerns
The outcome - overcome social injustice

Example of cornerstone content: Check out their Community Organising framework and principles.

3. Me: www.sonjanisson.co.uk

The question I answer for the world: How can people and organisations with a social purpose communicate what they do so that their ideas land with impact (and change the world for the better)?

My subject - business communication
The agents - people and organisations with a social purpose
The outcome - ideas that land and change things for the better

Having gone through this exercise I realise I need to create a piece of cornerstone content in answer to that question. My work has shifted a little from my time running Valuable Content. I’ve been writing articles around my new focus, but this exercise has shown me that there’s more to do.

What question will you answer for the world this year?

What question does your work (and content) answer for the world*? …

[* or ‘for your community’]

Your subject? … (what type of work are you talking about?)
The agents? … (for who?)
The outcome? … (for what ultimate result?)

Your cornerstone content?

I have found this exercise super useful to help me set direction for the year ahead - in terms of the focus and aim of my work, my writing - and who I’m here to serve. Things have changed for me over the past few years and I’ve been hunting hard for clarity on my new focus. This question is helping me get clearer. I’ll be tightening up my brand, content and messaging as a result (watch this space!). And I’ll do all I can to answer that question for you this year.

I hope you find January’s big question helpful to guide what you do this year too. Will you let me know how you get on?

Very best wishes, and a happy, healthy and successful 2023 to you.

Sonja

PS: If you are intrigued by the power of questions I’d recommend Warren Berger’s book: A More Beautiful Question (The Power of Inquiry to Spark Breakthrough Ideas)

“A beautiful question is an ambitious yet actionable question that can begin to shift the way we perceive or think about something—and that might serve as a catalyst to bring about change.”

One big question to set your year on track

January is the perfect time to ask big questions