The 5 W’s + 1 H + 1 G

The 5 W’s, otherwise known as “who? what? when? where? and why?”.....how many times have you heard those words spoken, in that order? These are common questions, whose answers are considered basic in information gathering and problem-solving, a formula for getting the complete story on a subject or action.

In life and in business, how often do you find yourself in a situation where you are information gathering and problem-solving, where you are taking action on achieving a goal or are executing on a new idea - - - and end-up spinning your wheels or becoming frustrated with a lack of timely results? You are not achieving what you set out to do, at least not within the timeframe you envisioned.  If you are human (like me), you find yourself in that type of situation (to some degree) more often than we like to admit.

When you find yourself in such a situation, does it automatically mean you made mistakes or picked a lousy goal or had a bad idea? Does it mean you were not smart enough to accomplish your intended results? Does it mean you did not work hard enough? Does it mean you made bad decisions along the way and should give up? No, no, no and no. It’s quite likely that you put integrity, effort, and good intention into the entire process.

These “spinning and frustrating” situations can occur for multiple reasons. Perhaps (too often) it’s because you started taking action on a goal or an idea, and then as you went along, you went through the process of answering the 5 W’s in random order. For example, you got really excited about a goal or an idea, the “what”; then you quickly took steps to execute on the goal or idea, the “when”; and you soon found yourself wrapped up in “how” you were going to do it; and you brought in people or resources “who” seemed necessary (in the moment); and before you knew it, you were frustrated with the number of times you needed to back-up and push the restart button on your efforts before you could try again to move forward; and then you realized you overlooked “where” you should have been focusing your efforts and/or realized you overlooked clearly defining “why” you thought it was a good goal or idea to pursue in the first place.   Exhausting!

What if you answered the 5 W’s (who, what, when, where and why) in a specific order and added 2 steps to the process (how and go)?  There it is - the “5W’s + 1 H + 1 G”. 

Next time you set out to accomplish a goal or execute on a new idea, try following this formula, 5W’s + 1 H + 1 G, a 7-step process, to be executed on in this specific order:

1.      Why? – When you set a goal or when a great idea pops in your head, stop and ask yourself “why” it’s something you want to do or should do. What problem are you trying to solve? How will it benefit you? How will it benefit or impact others? If you are unable to establish a good reason “why”, perhaps it’s best to sit on it for a while and consider what’s really important. Don’t spend time on something unless you are certain of (and can clearly explain) why it’s going to be a worthwhile endeavor.

2.      What? – Once you establish a healthy “why”, figure out “what” will help you successfully achieve the goal or implement the idea. In other words, design it before you act on it. You can always tweak your design as you go along but do your best design upfront. It just might save you a lot of time later. Proof of concept, a good thing.

3.      How? – Once you know “what” you need to do, map out “how” to execute on it. What will it take to complete each step? What are the tools and resources you’ll need along the way? What information do you need that you don’t already have? Once again, advance planning and due diligence may save a lot of time later in the process.

4.      When? – Next, decide carefully “when” to take each step. Some steps will need to be completed before other steps, and some can be completed simultaneously or in tandem. There also will be times when the goal or idea is great but it’s just not the right time to execute on it. Carefully consider your priorities because a future plan of action (or no action for the foreseeable future) may be most appropriate.

5.      Where? – The “where” can mean a few different things. If you are rolling out a new product or service, decide on the demographics for the target client base. If you are engaging in a new activity (personal or professional), take a close look at all your options before deciding which option or place will best help you achieve the intended outcomes. Don’t get overly excited about the first option that presents itself and then end up overlooking other options that you may later wish you had discovered and explored.

6.      Who? – Finally, review all of the information and double-check “who” will be needed and “who” will be impacted. This step is a "gut check" before you put the wheels in motion. In the end, should not every goal or idea be done for the benefit of yourself and/or others and/or some other worthy cause? “Who” will benefit or be impacted should be relevant to your “why”.

7.      Go! – After you’ve completed steps 1 through 6 above, it’s “go” time! You’ll likely learn things and will need to tweak the overall design and refine the steps you are taking (as you go along), and that’s okay. By completing the first 6 steps before you “go”, you’ll likely have a smoother ride and reach your destination sooner rather than later.

Instead of answering the 5 W’s in random order as you go through the process of executing on a goal or idea, give the 7 step process outlined above a try. It may very well result in time saved and time well spent.