The song is “Wannabe,” by the Spice Girls. I’ve had its intro in my head since I first heard it in the late 90s:

“Yo, I’ll tell you what I want, what I really really want.””So tell me what you want, what you really really want.”

And that’s how I think about the crucial, game-changing step in the process of bringing out the best in people who are struggling with a problem.

It’s the “tell me what you want, what you really really want” step.

Except that since I’m a dusty old consultant, I have to jargon it up. So I call it the “energizing outcome.”

What’s an Energizing Outcome?

Now, an energizing outcome is not just any old outcome. After all, it’s energizing.

Which is to say, when you think about achieving it, you get a jolt of energy — fuel to feed the engine that’s gonna make it happen.

So what tends to energize us?

Tag You’re It

In a game of tag, there are two roles: It and Runner. When you’re a Runner, you run only when you’re being chased. And the farther you get from It, the less energy you spend running away.

When you’re It, you’re constantly running after Runners. The closer you get to one of them, the more motivated you become.

Runners try to solve the problem of getting tagged, so they are energized only when the problem looms over them.

It isn’t trying to solve a problem — instead, It is chasing opportunity.

So energizing outcomes are ones where we focus not on solving problems, but rather using problems to achieve higher-level results.

How to Discover Your Energizing Outcome

One way I help my clients unearth their energizing outcome is to ask, “What future state would make you say, ‘I’m glad that I had this problem’?”

Or: “What outcome would be so exciting, that it would make this problem worth having?”

When we’re in the throes of a problem, it’s natural to just want to make it go away. But take a moment to ask yourself one of the energizing outcome questions, you’ll find that “making it go away” can be a pretty low bar.

As negotiation expert Chris Voss says, “Don’t be so sure of what you want that you wouldn’t take something better.”

Next week: the three qualities of an energizing outcome. Stay tuned.

Are you responsible for managing the mindset and emotional tone of a team? I’ve got a group mentoring program for you, starting in November 2024. Email me at [email protected] to find out more and apply.

PS In “Wannabe,” the answer to “what I really really want” turns out to be, “I wanna really really wanna zig-a-zig-ah.” So there you go.