How Three Letters Can Make a Difference

It is a little word, just 3 letters, but it is the superhero of all question words… WHY.

Are you trying to solve a business problem? Change your workforce’s behavior? Understand someone’s behavior?

Don’t just ask what… ask Why.

Solving a business problem - when we are faced with a business dilemma such as declining customer service, increasing costs, inaccurate data… most of us will first understand what is the problem. The step that is sometimes missed is understanding why it is occurring. In a previous blog post I talked about the 5 why’s or Root Cause Analysis. Using this technique, you continue asking why until you uncover the true issue. This does several things:

1.     It gets people thinking… this facilitates that light bulb moment – do I really know why I am doing things the way I am doing them? This is a key to facilitating out of the box thinking.

2.     It uncovers the true root cause of the issue so you can determine solutions that will truly eliminate the issue, rather than just a temporary fix.

When performing business process analysis, the first step is understanding the process, what are the steps and tasks being performed. Do we stop to ask why are we doing this process? Do the participants understand how their work affects their customer? This is key to gaining employee engagement. If it is understood how the work they are doing everyday is contributing to the company, they will be more engaged.

Understanding the motivation of others – When you understand why someone comes to work every day you will be able to coach them and keep them motivated. What is their passion? What are their strengths? Where do they add the most value? What is their why?

When someone’s behaviors are baffling to you, take a step back and ask why are they acting this way. Put yourself in their shoes. This advice works whether this is a co-worker or a friend. This enables you to have empathy and speak to them on terms that resonate with them.

When managing change in an organization asking why are we changing and communicating to those affected is key. What are the benefits of this change? What is in it for me? Again, by thinking how this affects the individuals allows you to tailor your message and show how these changes will benefit them.

Create a culture of asking why… it is contagious... if everyone starts asking why it will be common place to question conventional thinking. This is where innovation will blossom and challenging the status quo becomes a normal everyday occurrence.

So here is some homework, start asking why and see where it leads. Are you understanding others better and able to empathize? Can you tailor your message so they understand you better? Are you uncovering behaviors that are routine but have no real purpose? I’d love to hear your experiences with asking why and if it is helping to improve your workplace or life.