Fast Forward Three Years

Ben Williams's favorite interview question: 'Fast forward three years. What's different about you then?' Most people default to job titles and promotions. But what he's actually looking for is 'signals of humility, of self-awareness around areas of personal and professional growth.'

Try this with your kids, age-appropriately. Not 'what do you want to be when you grow up?' but 'when you're [three years older], what will be different about you? What will you have learned? What will be easier than it is now?'

This shifts the conversation from external achievement (I'll be a famous YouTuber!) to internal growth (I'll be better at making friends, or I'll know how to cook some meals myself). It teaches kids to think about who they're becoming, not just what they'll have.

And while you're at it, answer it yourself. Three years from now, what's different about YOU as a parent? Where are your growth areas? What do you want to be better at?

Humility and self-awareness. Those are the real signs of growth.