One of the evolving tools at the Kaiser Institute, the ExecuDeck, started with 13 cards asking the questions that matter most. Each card was born from something in the moment we saw in a person or an organization—the tool evolved on the fly. The original deck has over a hundred cards now, and the ExecuDeck v2 has nearly fifty. Here are five questions/cards we recently added to the deck.
When is it wise to give an easy yes?
When someone makes an ask that puts you on the fence between yes and no, once you’ve decided to accept, it may be time for an easy yes. They may not need to know it was a barely yes. An easy yes feels good, generates co-enthusiasm, and creates forward motion. A barely yes may dampen the energy, muddy the waters, and make others feel like they are an imposition. The exception to this is when their request creates conditions they need to know about—or when there’s something significant they’ve not taken into account.
Do you know when to make a really big ask?
Some of the most spectacular possibilities for our lives remain unactualized, not because they are out of reach, but because we don’t ask for what we could easily have. We may not ask because we don’t feel worthy of something big and wonderful—or it doesn’t seem like our place. We may not ask because we can’t imagine it’s possible. Or we may not even know it exists. A big ask may lead to an immediate big yes in response because that possibility has been waiting for you to be ready for it all along.
What does it mean to have someone’s back?
Having someone’s back can be enabling—or disabling. It’s enabling when unconditional support encourages, propels growth, anticipates danger, mitigates loss, or thwarts unnecessary catastrophe. It’s disabling when it overly insulates, subverts accountability, unhelpfully props up, distorts truth, or favors one at the cost of the whole.
What’s the difference between being powerful and being intimidating?
The best expression of power flows from a place of wisdom, considers what’s good for others, and gets things done through influence. The worst expression of intimidation flows from a place of ego, is blind to the needs of others, and uses position, fear, and force to get things done. Although others may experience even the best expressions of power as intimidating, we maximize the chances of them receiving us well by taking their needs and nature into account. This means we may show up differently with some people than others.
How can you create the conditions where bad behavior doesn’t make as much sense?
Bad actors need a stage—and some stages support bad action more than others. What shows up is not only about the person capable of behaving badly—it’s also about designing conditions so a behavior doesn’t make as much sense. For example, gossip may flow easily around some people but be acutely awkward around others. It’s important to design a theater of expression where the best behaviors make the most sense.