The question is

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Episodes

100

Latest episode

Jun 2026

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About the show

We believe that people and teams underperform. Not because they want to, not because they mean to but because they can't get out of their own way. This may not be down to them; it could be the culture or the environment. Our experiences shape our mindsets and habits, often causing us to get stuck. Changing behaviour requires a change in mindset. Join us on this journey as we discuss everything from 'how we think' to techniques and shortcuts to help us shape our thoughts to help us achieve our goals. We will be asking a range of questions about how the way that we think shapes our ability to change, be more productive and lead effectively.

Listen to episodes

60 recent

June 10, 2026Episode 1675 min

167 - Should RACI be changed to ARCI (Revisited)?

In this shorter-than-usual episode of the podcast, Paul heads back to one of our early podcasts (no 84) that looked at the well-known RACI model. This model helps people understand the different roles in decision-making and task allocation. Paul thinks the Consulted and Informed roles, and how sometimes the Accountable person has to manage the emotions and expectations of these groups, so that they don't hold teh project hostage to their perspective, yet remain unaccountable to the outcome.

May 27, 2026Episode 16622 min

166 - Why do sales conversations get stuck in the weeds?

Why do so many sales conversations grind to a halt… even when both sides want the same outcome? If you've ever found yourself stuck arguing over the detail — pricing, features, process, targets — this episode explains what's really going wrong and how to fix it. In complex B2B sales, disagreements rarely happen because people want different things. They happen because the conversation has dropped too far into the "what" or the "how", and everyone has lost sight of the why. In this episode, we unpack the Why–How–What Pyramid and show: Why detail-driven conversations create friction and stall deals How asking better why questions lifts conversations out of conflict Why senior stakeholders care more about intent than execution detail How to realign sales conversations around purpose, not opinion You'll hear a real-world example of a high-growth customer relationship that was stuck in tactical arguments — until the conversation was reset at the strategic level. If you're selling into complex organisations, influencing senior leaders, or navigating internal alignment challenges, this episode will change how you approach difficult conversations.

May 13, 2026Episode 1658 min

165 - Why do some people react to change harder than others (REVISITED)?

In this short podcast, Graham revisits one of our old podcasts on change. When change at work happens it can create an emotional responce, especially when the change is done to us, not by us. Graham looks back on a podcast from May 2023 that explores the different ways that we react to change, asking how much do we, as leaders, really understand the people around us, and take that into account when communicating and leading change. If you want to go back and listen to the whole podcast you can here it here - https://thequestionis.libsyn.com/106-why-do-some-people-react-to-change-harder-than-others

April 29, 2026Episode 16422 min

164 - Why do buyers care about impact, not product?

Why do sales conversations so often end up stuck on price? Because the moment your product becomes the centre of the conversation, comparison is inevitable — and value gets lost. In this episode, we explore value-led selling and why buyers don't want products — they want confidence in outcomes. We unpack: Why focusing on your solution pushes buyers into risk mode How complex buying decisions shift responsibility onto the customer Why customers want help making the right decision, not choosing a product How to reposition yourself as a trusted advisor, not a vendor Through real programme examples, we challenge a deeply held belief: Even the best product doesn't matter as much as what it enables. You'll learn how to: Shift the conversation from "what we sell" to "what they need" Align your expertise to customer outcomes Build value propositions rooted in impact, not features Strengthen trust — even when it means walking away from a deal

April 15, 2026Episode 1637 min

163 - How can I improve my confidence (REVISITED)?

Another look back into our podcast library, Richard heads back to when we asked the question, How can I improve my confidence. Richard explores how our confidence changes over time, especially when working on something big or important to us, and that can lead to confidence wobbles, yet with a small amount of planning ahead of time, we can handle these low points and power through to achieve our goals and objectives. If you want to listen to the original podcast, it is called 'How can I improve my confidence?' and is podcast 112 from March 2026. You can listen to it here - https://thequestionis.libsyn.com/112-how-can-i-improve-my-confidence

April 1, 2026Episode 16219 min

162 - Why do deals stall when I have a champion?

Ever had a deal that felt "done"… only for someone to appear out of nowhere and derail it? In this episode, Richard and Ricky explore one of the most common — and costly — mistakes in complex sales: assuming one strong champion is enough. Having a supporter doesn't mean you've sold the deal. It often means you've only sold part of the story. We break down the four buyer types in complex sales and explain: Why deals stall even when you have internal advocacy How unseen stakeholders quietly influence outcomes What happens when you don't know who really has a say How this applies not just externally, but internally too You'll also hear a familiar scenario — the moment the atmosphere changes, the objections shift, and you realise the decision is no longer in your control. This episode will help you: Identify who truly needs to be involved Understand what matters to different buyer types Tailor your message so it lands with everyone, not just your champion

March 18, 2026Episode 1615 min

161 - Should the R in SMART be Realistic or Relevant (REVISITED)

In this short episode of The Question Is, Ricky delves back into the library to revisit one of his favourite episodes, which also happens to be one of our most-played ever. There are lots of slightly different versions of the meanings of the five areas in SMART goals, but the one that comes up most often with the people we work with is the 'R': Realistic (can you do it) or Relevant (should you do it). Even after all this time, this is still a hot topic, which is why Rob and Rich talked about it in 2017, and Ricky decided to focus on it for the first of our revisited series. If you want to listen to the whole of the original podcast, it was episode 6, from June 2017 or you can click here to listen right now - https://thequestionis.libsyn.com/006-should-the-r-in-smart-be-realistic-or-relevant

January 21, 2026Episode 16021 min

160 - Why do we label ourselves (and others)?

In this last podcast in our series on common thinking errors, Richard and Graham look at how we assign labels to ourselves and to others and then act as if these made-up labels are true. While labels can help us to understand the world by generalising things into simple to understand categories, often we assign labels about our abilities, experiences, identity and personality that are more of a reflection of a situation than they are of us. Richard walks Graham through how we can explore these labels we create and reframe them to focus on behaviours that we can change if we wish, and not our identity. Seeing something as an area we are learning is always more constructive than something you are not good enough to do.

January 7, 2026Episode 15927 min

159 - Why do we overplay the negatives and ignore the positives?

We have a habit of only seeing the evidence that supports our view of the world. When stuff happens we can focus on the bits that help us to confirm what we already believe, regardless of how much the evidence is stacked against us. When this perspective collides with unhelpful beliefs or negative self-image, then we start to Discount The Positives, another common thinking error that many of us do from time to time. In this episode, Graham and Paul explore how this trait that starts off sounding like humility can quickly undermine our own self-confidence and lead to us believing our success is luck while our failures represent our own inadequacies. A sports star who puts their win down to their opponent's bad day, or a salesperson who believes their current run of luck is down to market conditions misses the point, that while we can all be lucky, the hard work learning and practicing, as well as showing up each day and putting in the graft, was most likely behind all of that so called luck!

December 24, 2025Episode 15825 min

158 - What causes us to blame ourselves (or others)?

As we continue to explore the common thinking errors, the little trip-ups in the way that we think, our episode this time explores Personalisation. Personalisation happens when we blame ourselves for things that are really outside our control. We did not plan this episode for our Christmas one, but what a lucky coincidence, as you may experience a little of this over the next few days, so it might be worth understanding what is going on. Graham and Paul dig into what causes us to take the normal to and fro of life and sometimes find meaning and slight on ourselves that was never there, or a least never intended in that way. How criticism of a project or piece of work can feel like criticism of us, or the people around you laughing are almost certainly not laughing at you. So this Christmas break, the weather is not down to you, and unless you really are one of the few people who decide what is going to be shown on the telly, the fact that there are 200 channels and nothing on, well, that is not your fault either!