Home > Management > Five Questions in Five Minutes
Draft an email containing five simple questions and blast it out (BCC) to a collection of friends, family, colleagues, people you've met who know you well, and people you've met who don't know you so well. Ask them to email you their responses, spending no more than 5 minutes doing so.
I used the five questions below, but you could modify them or make up your own. Be considerate of the fact that the person on the other end should spend no more than 5 minutes on this project.
Through this process I heard some amazingly consistent things I hadn't thought of before and got some fresh perspectives on a possible future career choice.
Finally, be prepared to do the same for people who respond to you! This type of message tends to have a viral effect among the people to whom you send it.
Five Questions in Five Minutes
Want a quick and easy way to gauge what other people think of you and get some insight into yourself? One approach I've tried (and gotten amazing results from) is called Five Questions in Five Minutes.Draft an email containing five simple questions and blast it out (BCC) to a collection of friends, family, colleagues, people you've met who know you well, and people you've met who don't know you so well. Ask them to email you their responses, spending no more than 5 minutes doing so.
I used the five questions below, but you could modify them or make up your own. Be considerate of the fact that the person on the other end should spend no more than 5 minutes on this project.
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Dear Friends and Family,
I'm investing some time these days on understanding myself better, and a big part of that is understanding how other people perceive me. If you have five minutes, would you please answer the questions below and email them back to me? This would be a great way for me to collect a sampling of impressions about me from a variety of people with whom I interact. Don't spend more than five minutes on this -- your first impressions are what count. And please be honest; you can't hurt my feelings! 1. What do you see as my greatest personal strength(s)? 2. What do I do better than anyone else? 3. What do you see as my greatest area(s) for improvement? 4. What could you see me doing in ten years that I'm not doing today? 5. If you had to pick one word that describes me, what would that word be? Thank you, I really appreciate your help! Your name |
Through this process I heard some amazingly consistent things I hadn't thought of before and got some fresh perspectives on a possible future career choice.
Finally, be prepared to do the same for people who respond to you! This type of message tends to have a viral effect among the people to whom you send it.
