‘Revolution starts in the mind. Question everything.’ (Bryant McGill)
If – a tiny word, one of the shortest conjunctions in the English language – framed as a question, can open up a whole array of possibilities. It can raise insights and ideas into awareness by presenting a hypothesis that stretches the imagination and creates fertile ground for breakthroughs. Used in Action Learning sets, it can help shift a presenter’s thinking beyond the what-is to the what-could-be; from a place of stuck-ness towards radical and liberating solutions.
Posed in open, invitational tone: ‘If you were to have a really useful conversation, what would you be talking about?’ ‘If you were to introduce this change, what would it mean for you?’ ‘If you were to move ahead with this, what would you need?’ ‘If you were to do this with confidence, what would you be doing?’ ‘If you were to be successful in this venture, what would that make possible?’ ‘If you had a good-enough answer to this question, what would it be?’
