Kent Svenson:
Welcome to the trusted leader show. I’m Kent Svenson producer of the trusted leader show. And for this week’s episode, we feature an exclusive clip from the 2022 trusted leader summit, where David took to this stage to talk about the three questions that drive strategic clarity. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the show.

David Horsager:
There are many questions we ask in strategic planning and while the why is a great question. And I agree with cynic that if you don’t have a why you might last not last 10 days on a project and the why is critical in times of change, most leaders in change, they lose trust. Not because of change. People are used to change since their diapers were, but the problem is people don’t share the why enough and change. So why is a good question?

David Horsager:
Collins and others who talk about the who? That’s a good question. Get the right who’s on the bus. No doubt about it. But often we see still buses full of really fun. Who’s singing kumbaya about their why going right up the cliff, because they’re not asking these three questions. I believe these, these are the three most overlooked underused questions in strategic work. These are the questions that actually give hope. These are the questions that actually take an idea to an action. These three questions. They are the most important questions you have to get good. ’em If you want clarity, this doesn’t by the way, come against a acquaintance colleague friend in this, in the business who just wrote a really good book called who not how that argues. You should just get the right who’s around you and the who’s will kind of solve a lot of your problems. It’s a really good inspiring book. However, there are many things you can’t leverage. Many of us leaders wanna leverage everything. Everybody else do everything. It turns out if you leverage everything in your health, you can hire a great fitness trainer and not get healthy.

David Horsager:
You can hire someone to save your marriage, but it turns out you have to do some work. So the three most important underused questions that actually drive strategic clarity, many of you know it, number one is number two is way more important. And the most important question of all is ladies and gentlemen, you must ask how, at least three times it might take seven.

David Horsager:
I’m much faster explaining it when it’s recorded and cut. So this is what they made me do. I started asking people when I knew that I needed to lose weight, I said, how do you stay fit on the road? Traveling like we do. You know what people told me, eat less exercise. That was not clear enough for me. I said, but how, how, how one idea a doctor came up to me after an event, 80 years old fit as could be. I, he said, David, here’s an idea that actually, I think has a final, how most men, if they just wouldn’t drink their calories, they could eat exactly the same. And they’d lose 30 to 50 pounds. Now, at least that was a clear how cuz I can look at something. Is there calories in that? No, I can drink it. Right? So for six months I didn’t drink a calorie, but the, the point isn’t anything about calories and it certainly isn’t healthcare advice.

David Horsager:
The point is, can I look at it because I would get on a plane and I would have a Coke. Two Cokes was a meal. I didn’t know what I was doing. Now, if you sit next to me on the plane, you’ll notice I order something without calories, but it’s gotta be that clear. You’ve gotta ask how until you’re gonna do something differently today or tomorrow. How, how, how what’s this mean for you? Don’t tell me you’re gonna call people. Don’t tell me, tell me you’re gonna set meetings and tell you, ask how until you’re gonna do something specific today or tomorrow. I do not trust you. How you gonna do that? Okay. Then how are you gonna do that? Okay. Then how are you gonna do that until you’re gonna do something today or tomorrow? And you can always ask how until you can do something today or tomorrow.

David Horsager:
Okay. So the, how is it? How plan is critical. This is a critical part of our work under the clarity pillar. Many of you know, the two sides of clarity. We have strategic clarity in how we communicate that communication clarity. So this comes under strategic it’s after MVP, mission, vision, values, priorities but is when we take something we need to ask how in most people, this is way too much work. You think it’s easy. I’ve had senior executives from a massive company that you all know say it took me. It was the fourth 90 minute meeting where we finally said, oh, I finally got the, how haha. A final, how is always something you can actually act on today or tomorrow doesn’t matter how big your company doesn’t matter how complex your government. We’ve always, you can always do it, but you have how you gonna do then?

David Horsager:
How you gonna do that? Then? How you gonna do it? It was that it was that thing with the, the weight loss thing. I was okay, I’m gonna eat less. Okay. I’m gonna bring in less calories. Okay. Until I can act on it today or tomorrow, it doesn’t matter. That final. How gives hope and you have to do something you will do. If you said to me, David, you can never, never have ice cream again. It’s not gonna happen. So you have to pick something you will do, right. Ha and tell you can do it. I can still remember. One of the biggest healthcare organizations in north America, we were at a private hospital systems. We were at a big private location meeting. I was up on a little stage like this. There was a hundred senior executives and the senior leaders here. We’d done all this trust work. And I said, it happened to be a gentleman, the CEO. I said what would you, what do you actually wanna do? We’ve talked about all this stuff. What do you and your team, what do we want to actually start to solve?

David Horsager:
And he stood up in front of everybody and said, we need a better culture. We’re dying. I said, great. How are you gonna start to have a better culture? And this Harvard graduate, C E O sat down, talked to his team and he stood up and he said, well, we like that clarity pillar. We’re gonna start with that. We’re gonna be more clear. Do I trust him? Not for a second. I honor him. I said, great. How are you gonna be more clear? He sat down. He talked to his team when he was ready, he stood up and said, we’re gonna communicate more. I said, great. How are you gonna communicate more? He sat down, talked to his team when he was ready, he stood up and said, we’re gonna hold each other accountable. After I threw up in my mouth

David Horsager:
I said, how, you know how many companies I go into? They say they have accountability as a value. And they don’t know what it means. Oh, we got accountability. I said, great. How do you hold people accountable here?

David Horsager:
I, you know,

David Horsager:
Accountability stuff. They don’t know. That day we asked how seven more times that leader got to something they could do today. Tomorrow seven, nine years later, they wrote us a letter that said this organization, you would all know. They said that was the tipping point of their organization because all hundred of those senior leaders got to a final, how they could act on today, tomorrow. And we think we got it, but it’s hard. A final. How always has a, who a when and aware. How, how, how, how, how so we do these at least every 90 days in our company, we, you can do it as an individual. You can do it as an organization, but how plans drive clarity. That gives hope because the final, how can actually happen. So when I do it individual, whether it’s me individually, or whether it’s a team, the final, how always has a who, when or aware the, who you’ve been lied to co-leadership is terrible. What does the data say? If you have more than one person on the final task, you have 50%, less chance of ever getting done. You can’t have bill and Jane

David Horsager:
All person. If you say, well, David, I know these co look at this successful company with co CEOs. We look at that. You’ll find if they’re successful and healthy, they have two different roles, even though they call themselves that, I mean, this is in life. Isn’t it having more than one person I’m not pushing. Let’s just take four or away from traditional marriage. But whatever in marriage, if you have, if you don’t have some role separation, you know how much stress that is? You mean you both, let’s say you both work. You both get home every night, you got a sparkle or what do you call it? Rock, paper scissors for okay. Who’s gonna do dishes tonight. Who’s gonna mow lawn tonight. Who’s gonna do this tonight. Every time you do that, you know how peaceful it is? Oh, I know they got the lawn.

David Horsager:
Oh, I know they got the meal. Doesn’t mean don’t help each other. But stress goes down when clarity goes up and a final, how always has a who? And by the way, it takes away stress from that person. Because if they don’t know if they totally got it or someone else doesn’t mean they don’t need help, doesn’t mean we don’t CLA we still have the connection bill, but you’ve got to drive the final. How to one, it gives them peace. They know what they own. How, how, how, how, how, how, how it might take seven might take 10, but we have to how it, until we can act on it today or tomorrow. How, how, how, so? First of all, we’ve gotta get this right? We’ve got to get good at this. If we’re gonna get the clarity pillar. So at your table, ah, think of just for now, just for, for 90 seconds, I wanted you to see how fast, if you haven’t done this, I want you to see how fast you can start to solve your biggest issue. One of your biggest issues.

David Horsager:
You ask how until you can do something, not everything, just something. Okay. So don’t get to everything, but we try to go backwards to a Keystone habit because somebody will say, well, I wanna start to read more. Well, great. You’ve had that opportunity for years. How you gonna do that? Oh, I’m just gonna read more. No, you’re not. How, how you gonna do that? Well, I suppose I should get a book. Yeah, that’s one. Okay. How you gonna get a book? Oh, I’m gonna get on Amazon. Do I trust you yet? No. How? Until you tell me at the next break, I’m gonna get on. I’m gonna punch this on my Amazon account or whatever. Right. Then you get to a final how see I’m gonna get up earlier. Good idea. You’ve been able to do that for a while. How you gonna do it?

David Horsager:
Ah, just get up. No, ah, set an alarm. Okay. You’ve done that. Okay. How you, maybe it’s all the way back to, I need to go bed earlier and then maybe I have to put something. So I start getting ready for bed earlier, but I have to go backwards so I can actually do something. How, how, how until you will do something today or tomorrow, are we clear? This is really critical. And this is a differentiator for all the people we’ve seen triple sales, lose weight, get this clarity pillar to actually take an idea to an action. So let’s do it. Take one thing right now on your journal. Put it down. What do you want to change? Try to be as specific as possible. What’s something you’d like to change. Let’s say in 90 days it can be at work. It can be at home.

David Horsager:
I’d like to gain 10 pounds. I’d like to have a better relationship with my kids. But if you do that, let’s say you want a better relationship with your, your kid. Try to think. Well, where am I right now? Just a gut check. You don’t need to do an assessment. Oh, I feel like it’s about a six out of 10. I’d like it to feel like a nine outta 10 in 90 days. Then you, how, how, how well, I’m just gonna start to try. I’m gonna, how, how and tell you tell, oh, I’m gonna write a note to them every day. For the next 90 days by breakfast, you got something.

David Horsager:
How, how, how, how, how, and this, this can change personal relationship. It can change sales. It can change your, your team, but the, how are we clear on the, how it has to be something you can act on today, tomorrow? And you have to have something you can do. So what is the thing you would like to do? Put one thing down. Maybe you thought about it today. Maybe it was, I want to increase this pillar. Well, what do I wanna do? Maybe I want to whatever it is, put something down at the top that you want personally. Okay. This is just for you. Thank you. We’re just gonna stay silent for about 90 seconds on this one. What are you gonna do? Okay. What’s the thing you wanna change. Everybody wants to change something

David Horsager:
Tomorrow. We’re gonna talk just briefly about habit change and what it really takes or some of the things it really takes most people miss, but this is part of it, getting this clear now, okay, you got that thing now. You’re gonna how it put a how? Okay. What’s that first? How, okay. I’m gonna, I mean, the simple, it’s simple, obviously on this one and I don’t judge anybody, the calorie thing, we’re all working on different things in our lives. Are we not? I’m working on other things today. And I was, then we’re all working on different things. I hope. But on that thing, I say, okay, how I gotta take in less care? How am I gonna do that? Okay. How am I gonna do that? How am I gonna, until I can do it today or tomorrow, be ready. We’re gonna share this in a moment.

David Horsager:
If you’re willing, if it’s private, no problem. You don’t have to, but try to get this to a, how you could do tomorrow morning and interesting thing at a football over here. Mike one of the university football teams that said we took them, helped them go from three and seven to seven and three in a year was a team that took this process. And every every week, every position, the pitch decision group and the team would, whatever happened last Sunday or Saturday in their case. And they would like, okay, we want this. We wanna win next week. Ha ha. I’m gonna do it. How’s my position group. Ha ha haha. Until we can actually do something today or tomorrow. Okay. Let me give you silence for a minute 60 seconds and see if you can get to a final, how that you can act on today or tomorrow.

David Horsager:
So that that’s the point is so when you do this on teams, you know it, some of you know, the full 90 day, quick plan process, which starts with three other questions, which is why you gotta have a strong enough why you don’t last on a project. So why am I actually doing this? The, the then the next question is where am I right now on this? So here’s where I am. Where do I want to be in 90 days? Okay. This is where I’m going. And then of course it goes to how, how, how, and it might, the point of this is it might take 10 hows. It might take however many, it’s not a final how until you can do it, act on it today or tomorrow. So when you do this on teams, you you’re, you’re, you’re getting to something somebody can do starting to. Then they have hope. Now sometimes, and we’re not gonna take and do this together in this session, but on teams sometimes you’ll get to things that you think someone else should do. Oh, I found a final hall for that CEO. I found a final hall for that superintendent. I found a final Hal for them. Can’t ever do it.

David Horsager:
It always has to be something you can do. So let’s take something. Let’s say you’re doing it as a team. And you came to a final, how you came to something that you really think would help the company that would help the organization, but you don’t have overall control. So how do you get buy in on an idea? I’m just gonna jump to this in my head really quick here. I hope it’s what I’m supposed to say. Gonna give you five, five words that actually create buy-in and two questions. If you can’t do it, but the CEO, the manager, the senior leader, you need them to do this things. What do people actually, what gives, what helped you get buy in one number one, empathy. I know you’re busy. I know you got a million ideas. I know you got all these people coming to you. I know you got people pulling on you. I know you got all this, but I just wonder like coming to them and putting your feet in their shoes. Because if you wanna get critiqued for a living, my, my wise older brother, economist is known for saying we’re in a more critical world than we’ve ever been in without the ability to critically think

David Horsager:
You wanna be critiqued for a living. You want that to be your role in life. Give a talk, right? Something’s wrong? Oh, he’s from Minnesota. You should have won a tie. I mean something. I mean, you get critiqued. If you speak, write a book or lead anything, you lead anything. You will get critiqued for a living. So do what’s right. Anyway, you have to, that’s your call if you wanna lead. And I talked about some of you school boards, right? Where’s okay. You, if you don’t wanna get critiqued for a living, don’t be on a school board. That’s your role in life? You have to do what’s right. Anyway. So you’re gonna get critiqued, but, but number one, start empathy. Number two is you do need to have some credibility for this. Like here’s a way forward. I may not know everything, but here’s, here’s a pathway forward. Here’s some credibility. And I want to share another thing, but, but I, if you have, you know, this is the balance of humility and credibility in, in work is it’s great to have humility, but you have to ha they have to trust that you know something about this. Another idea, another part of getting buy-in from others when you don’t have control is conviction.

David Horsager:
Some people there’s other, some people have said David, about that trust work. Why, what, when we have your show conviction, when you do your own research or write your own stuff or, or you’re in it, or you see it, I have deep, deep, deep conviction about, I don’t have deep conviction about horse soccer, David. I can’t spell my last name. I couldn’t tell eighth grade, whatever, but trust I have conviction. People will buy in. If you have conviction, that’s genuine. Next is anticipation. They buy in when they anticipate something changing. This is why on the way on certain things that you got a picture before and after of anything, oh, I could be like that. I might buy in. Oh, you mean you’re my leader. And you could lead me to this better place with a culture where people actually could perform at their best. I, I want to join in on that, cuz I’m anticipating a different culture, a non poisonous one, a different place. So I might buy in on that. So, eh, empathy, conviction, anticipation, credibility. And of course the final one is authenticity. If we’re not authentic, everybody can tell miles away. In fact, the top question senior hires were asking in one study over the last several years is, is it real? They’ve been lied to generation, right? Is that real? Is that virtual? Is it not? Is it this? Is that, what is it really real? Is that picture on Instagram real or not? Is it real?

David Horsager:
They will buy in if they feel like in a way, if you are genuine and real. So those are five, five ways to get buy in two questions.

David Horsager:
The first question is why if I go to a senior leader and your final, how and your, how plan was, we need them to think about this idea differently. I’m gonna give I, we tell, we talked to our team about having five why’s. Why is the question? But you might have five of them. Hey, I know you got a lot of priorities to consider. I know you get all that stuff, but here’s five. Why’s maybe it’s three whys, but here’s the why behind why I think this would help us. And if you have a narcissistic leader, one ear wise has to be something that would make them look really.

David Horsager:
Here’s why this would. And by the way, you people could actually maybe follow you or they’d like you or this would help you. Or you might get that promotion or you might what, right. And the other question is, if you can, with five whys, bring a how or two as possibilities that you’ve thought of your chances go up dramatically with the senior leader. Here’s an idea. I don’t know if this would work, but here’s why you use those five others I’m with empathy and all this, but then you said here’s a couple ideas I thought of for this that would really help us, I think is we could either do maybe this process for it or this, your chances go up on, on getting buy-in from senior leaders. Does that make sense?

Kent Svenson:
That’s it for this week’s episode, be sure to check out trusted leader, show.com for all the show notes and links and information from anything mentioned in today’s episode. And we are so excited to announce that trusted leader summit is happening again. Next year, November 7th, through the ninth, 2023 at the JW Marriot mall of America here in Minnesota, if you wanna find out more information or even register head to trusted leader, summit.com for all the information, and if you haven’t already, we would greatly appreciate a review on apple podcast or wherever you get your podcast. This is a great way to help support the show and help others to discover it. But in the meantime, that’s it for this week’s episode. Thank you so much for listening. And until next time stay trusted.