How Great Teams Turn Open Questions Into Decisions

They run out of clarity. Curiosity fills the whiteboard. Clarity gets the work into the world.

I have seen this pattern in boardrooms, workshops, and late night Zoom calls. Smart people ask smart questions, then stall. Not because the idea is weak, but because the path is foggy. The gap between curiosity and clarity is where momentum dies.

Today I want to share how I close that gap in my own work, and with the teams I coach. It is practical, human, and repeatable.

Related: Is Your Culture Too Nice to Innovate?

The Emotional Truth We Do Not Say Out Loud

Curiosity feels safe. It lets us explore without the risk of being wrong.

Clarity feels exposed. It forces a choice, a deadline, a public result.

That is why teams stay in curiosity. It feels productive, and nobody gets hurt. The cost is invisible at first. Weeks pass, energy drops, and a good idea loses its window.

If that stings a little, you are in the right place.

I use a simple loop that moves a team from open questions to a clear, testable decision in hours, not weeks...

1. Name the real problem

Write it as a single sentence that a customer would recognise.

Format: "For [who], [problem], so that [outcome]."

2. Ask the two brave questions

• "What must be true for this to work"
• "What would make this fail"

Capture answers without debate. Facts, assumptions, risks.

3. Design the smallest proof

Pick one assumption that matters most.

Define the lightest test that can prove or disprove it within ten days.

Agree on the data you will count before you start.

4. Assign an owner and a runway

One owner. A start and finish date. A decision point.

Remove one approval and one meeting. Protect the runway.

Close the loop, then repeat. Curiosity powers the questions, clarity powers the next move.

What This Looks Like In Practice

Last quarter, I worked with a retail team that had a clever bundle idea. The whiteboard was full of options. Instead of debating, we ran the loop.

• Problem: "For busy parents, checkout is noisy, so they miss useful add-ons."
• Must be true: "A single nudge will not add friction."
• Smallest proof: One-week A/B across a single cohort, one nudge, track basket add-on and drop-off.
• Owner and runway: One product lead, a ten-day window, a decision at day eleven.

Result, a small change produced a meaningful lift. The win was not the feature, it was the clarity to test the right thing quickly.

That’s why you need to make sure whether you’re stuck in curiosity — here are some signs to look out for:

• You have more options every meeting, and fewer decisions.
• You are polishing slides, not running tests.
• The problem statement keeps changing, and nobody wants to own it.

If you see these, pause and run the loop. It will feel slower for one hour, then much faster after.

Related: The 5 Questions Steve Jobs Would Ask About Your Idea

4 Practical Prompts You Can Steal Today!

Use these with your team, in plain English:

• "What must be true for this to work"
• "What would make this fail"
• "What is the smallest test that proves or disproves our core bet"
• “Who owns this, and what approval can we remove”

Say them out loud. Write the answers where everyone can see them. Decide the next move in the room.

Why I Know This Works

Curiosity opens possibility. Clarity creates commitment.

When you respect both, you build momentum without heroics. You protect mental clarity, not just deadlines. You reduce waste. You learn faster. You create a culture where people feel safe to ask brave questions and safe to make firm choices.

That is how innovative teams operate. Not louder, just clearer.

Clarity is a choice. Make it today.

This was originally published by Anthony J. James on LinkedIn.
 

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