#Lead for Good:
Mohamad Cholid, Certified Executive and Leadership Coach
“The mirror is a worthless invention. The only way to truly see yourself is in the reflection of someone else’s eyes.” Voltaire.
For the last twenty years of his life, Albert Einstein resided at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton University, United States, where he passed away in 1955. Throughout his research on the theory of relativity and his teaching career at Princeton, Einstein was famous for consistently using the same questions in his final exams. This peculiarity did not go unnoticed by his students and colleagues.
One of his colleagues was so curious and decided to ask his reasons for giving the same questions in exams. Einstein simply replied, “Because the answers always change.”
To emphasize the context of our existence on Earth and achieve clarity about the origin and purpose of life, there will always be fundamental questions awaiting in every corner of our journey.
Even though decades have passed, several standard questions remain relevant in organizational leadership for both businesses and nonprofits. These questions, however, generate constantly evolving answers that reflect the current context and challenges.
A fundamental yet ever-evolving question in organizational leadership is: What are our reasons and purposes of building and leading an organization? While job creation and economic participation are valuable contributions, many executives and leaders often struggle to articulate a deeper understanding beyond these typical responses.
The question we explored – “What are our reasons and purposes of building and leading an organization?” – is part of Peter Drucker’s Five Most Important Questions, which have served as a cornerstone for business organizations for decades. These five essential questions guide leaders to continuously evaluate their organization’s purpose, target audience, value proposition, performance, and strategic direction:
- What is our mission?
- Who is our customer?
- What does the customer value?
- What are our results?
- What is our plan?
Regularly revisiting fundamental questions can be a powerful tool to combat decision-making biases. Consider asking these questions quarterly, bi-annually, or at least annually. This practice can help us avoid falling prey to biases like optimism bias (the tendency to overestimate positive outcomes) and planning fallacy bias (underestimating costs and timelines).