Why ? Why ? Why ?

Ever heard of asking ‘Why’ five times to separate the chaff from the wheat. A similar sounding theory that I have developed (note still being indoctrinated by self) is asking the 3 Why’s every time one is faced with a new ask. The three Why’s are ‘Why bother’, ‘Why me’ and ‘Why now’.

Note it may not be wise asking the bearer of the new problem or initiative these questions directly but by asking these questions of oneself, we can then tailor the questions to the perpetrator . Let’s examine each of these

1. Why bother? “Mary Doe, can you create this new competitive PowerPoint comparing us with MongooseQuickSands(MQS) taking into account market conditions, customer demands and our pricing and get this to me by end of today?” Sound familiar? Now the ‘Why bother’ question is really to understand why we are even talking about this. Is it because MQS is kicking our butt and provides a quicker and easier way of devouring customers (literally). It is a sniff test to establish legitimacy.

2. Why me? Let’s say the legitimacy has been established. Next is understanding why you are the chosen one? Is it because you have a tendency to never say ‘No’ OR your colleagues are all difficult to work with (even though they may be better suited)? Or is it because you have a nose for keeping up with the ‘QuickSands’ competitive environment and are on top of things? This may at times be a self-awareness test but an important one otherwise one could end up holding the bag every single time

3. And finally and probably the most important one ‘Why Now’. We are in an #NoTime4Nothing age. And constantly reprioritizing is an ongoing beast. Dealing with the monster at the gate even before it is allowed to enter is the only way. And that means asking the question after establishing both the relevancy and the executor – is the immediacy of the request.

One word of warning – don’t try this at home with your significant other – I am not responsible for any bodily injury it may cause!