ASKING 'WHY' IS NOT ENOUGH: Why Your Motivation Doesn't Last Long
Vivek Singh
I help people speak with Authority & Charisma | Executive Leadership Coach | TEDx Speaker | Bestselling Author
I presume you understand the importance of WHY questions. Simon Sinek in his book 'Start with Why' talks about the power of 'why' in the order of questions. Why gives' you reason and purpose to do something. Frequently asking 'why' keeps recreating the context and stays you active in the game.
But, while working with many of the brightest executives in the country, I realized asking 'why' once is just not enough. It gives clarity only to a certain level and that leads to fluctuation in your engagement level while working. I knew we needed to get to the emotional core to stay motivated in the longer term. So, I finally got the answer in the book 'Made to Stick' by Chip and Dan Heath. They give you a very simple tool:
Ask 'Why is this important?' three times to get to the emotional core.
For example, you want a promotion in your job.
Ask yourself the first time: Why is the promotion important? The probable answer may be that you want more money. (There could be many other answers, I have taken this just to make the point clear)
Then, ask yourself the second time: Why is more money important? So that you have a better lifestyle.
And finally ask the third time: Why is the better lifestyle important? So that you attract more respect in your community. Now, you have hit the core. This is the reason you want to make more money. Now, money is no more your driver to promotion. It’s social recognition.
Go and try this technique with everything that matters to you in life.
I look forward to hearing from you about how well this worked.
Finance and Process Expert with 20+ years experience
4 年Hi Vivek, I agree with you completely. Early on, I had learnt the 5 why Root Cause Analysis management technique to look for the core of the problem affecting any decision. Using it for managing my work, I slowly started using this in my personal life as well. It helped me to improve my personal as well as professional life. The deeper I delved into the problem, the better I was able to understand it. Sometimes, it was surprising to find out that the core answer to 'why' was very different from the initially perceived answer, and the decision that I made was very different than what I would have made if I hadn't answered multiple why's.
Global Social Media Analyst @BCG - MDP Enablement | Tableau Certified Data Analyst | Advanced Excel | Alteryx
4 年Insightful!
Mental Health Practitioner at ALTHOUGHT
4 年So easy !!! Can't believe...
Global Business Leader .|. Creating Strategic Partnerships .|. Unlocking Opportunities "Bridging Industries, Not Just Borders" | Telecom | Media | Brand Advertising | Agribusiness | Trade & Investment | Public Policy
4 年Undoubtedly there is a power of Why and practicing this power gives enough understanding about inner confusions in any given situation I had practiced this when it was taught way back in 2006 in my certification courses Thank you for bringing this up as a refresher Vivek Singh