Why "Why?" Matters

You ask your four year-old to go put away her toys. The response: "Why?"

Your eyeballs bulge.

Then, your teenager asks you for $20. You ask, "Why?" His response: "I just need it."

You go into your "money doesn't grow on trees" routine that you swore you would never do (because your parents did it).

You tell your boss you think you need about $200,000 to beef up your marketing efforts and $100,000 to outsource the graphics and production. She leans her head at a 45 degree angle, looks at you, and utters the magical, "Uh, why?"

You think to yourself, "Isn't it obvious given our targets for market-share?"

"Why" Does This Matter?

Purpose and Context. That's why.

The human condition requires context for what's being asked or done.

Idea people fall in love with their ideas.

Action people fall in love with do-ing.

But everyone around them needs to know why the ideas and actions are important. We talk about "engagement," then fail to provide the purpose and context that people need to become engaged.

I've watched managers bark absolutely appropriate directions at employees. The response was appropriate as well: "Why do you want us to do it this way?"

That's not insubordination, it's an intelligent question. Knowing the purpose allows people to make good decisions when problems arise. If an action is going to cost 20% of budget and part of the purpose is to stay within 10%, employees know how to respond effectively.

"Why" Brings You Clarity and Confidence

If you and I are at all alike, one immediate reaction to "Why?" is often defensiveness. ("How dare you question my thinking?")

Yet this is the question that will keep you out of trouble--but only if you are willing to take it as a gift and spend time re-visiting your answer. If you do, you'll gain the clarity that gives you confident strength to move ahead boldly.

And engagement--yours and theirs--won't be a buzzword.

Comments

[Becky Robinson]

Steve - you sum this up very nicely. It makes sense to me that if managers, execs (or parents) are engaged and in process with employees, the question why won't be an affront, it will be an opportunity. Good reminder to take time to know the whys ourselves before trying to get others on board with our ideas or agenda.

[PierG]

Steve,
the power of WHY is great, I agree, but the 'state' in which it puts you or your counterpart is powerful too (in a negative way).
In my experience, being just a bit careful (and knowing some basics communication techniques) you can get just the benefit of the WHYs
PierG
http://pierg.wordpress.com

[Steve Roesler]

Becky,

You point out the importance of first knowing the "why" ourselves: well-taken.

[Steve Roesler]

PierG:

You know, that's a valuable reminder. I did a post some time ago on the threatening nature of the "why" question. Your cautionary suggestion is a good one. When we ask "Why?", it's easy for people to think we are questioning their motives and intent.

Thanks for the addition. . .

[Dan McCarthy]

Steve -
Great post, thanks.
When working with the Japanese I was taught to always focus on the "whys" - given the cultural need for purpose and context. "What is purpose" was drilled into my head until it hurt. It seems the same concept would apply to the western world as well.

[Steve Roesler]

Dan,

Appreciate that.

I've worked in around 40 different countries over the years, many for long stretches. Japan wasn't one of them (not sure how I missed it). So, I wasn't aware of the cultural bias for "Why?"

Readers: Take note of Dan's first-hand experience.

After thinking about application in the western world, we all have to justify our budgets, plans, etc., which means answering the "Why?" question. We often don't ask "Why?" or "What is the purpose?" In corporations, the more acceptable version seems to be, "What is your rationale for that?"

Thanks again...

[peter vajda]

Also having worked with the Japanese some years ago, I was introduced into the notion of "The 5 Whys" - in the context of decision-making...the idea being that if you asked "why?" five times when making a decision you would arrive, with some surety, at the real, real, "reason" or "truth" (root cause) underneath the decision, while dismissing false "reasons," emotionally-based decisions, "excuses", assumptions, logic traps, etc., looking past the "presenting problem," and uncover how the problem arose in the first place.

Often when asking "why?" it's possible that one does not have/know the answer---a good thing, an opportunity to apply a cause analysis to the process--applying the formal tools of problem solving when you might have an "answer" but lack confidence in its value and worth. It helps to go below, deeply below, the "surface" of things.

The technique was originally developed by Sakichi Toyoda and used in Toyota's manufacturing methodology. Not only does the strategy help to define the solution, it helps to define the problem.

[Wally Bock]

I really resonate with the post and with Dan and Peter's comments. I also discovered the power of asking "Why?" not once, but several times when working with the Japanese. It's one of the powerful hidden tools of continuous improvement. Just in case we need another authority to add to the mix, here's a quote from Ricardo Semler: : "Ask why. Ask it all the time. Ask it any day. Ask it every day and always ask it 3 times in a row."

[Chris Witt]

Steve,

I agree, answering the why question is essential. (It's also rarely done in most of the presentations I sit through.)

I like the idea of asking why five times. Maybe doing so will address one of my concerns, which is that different people have different needs or reasons. Why I want something may not (often is not) why you would want it.

I can't tell you how many times people try to sell me something -- an idea, service, product -- that makes sense to them, but not to me, that answers their why question, but not mine.

And the real difficulty comes when we're addressing a number of people at the same time, each of whom has his/her unique needs or perspectives. The CFO may want to know how your proposal will save or make money. The head of sales may be concerned about sagging sales and how your proposal will affect the way her reps will be compensated. The head of R&D may be worried about how your proposal will affect the projects already in his pipeline. Etc.

[Steve Roesler]

Chris,

Gotta tell you--I have the same experience with the "why" question frequently being overlooked in presentations. But maybe that's why we're able to stay in business for so long.

It's also why everyone in every discipline ought to go through their company's sales training programs. When speakers start seeing their listeners as sales prospects--and understand the difference between features and benefits (the why), it could turn on a few lightbulbs, eh?

[Wally Bock]

Congratulations! This post was selected as one of the five best independent business blog posts of the week in my Three Star Leadership Midweek Review of the Business Blogs.

http://blog.threestarleadership.com/2009/07/22/72209-midweek-look-at-the-independent-business-blogs.aspx

Wally Bock

[Amer N. Raja]

Hi Steve,

Very logical.

Congratulations on being chosen as the "best of Leadership blogs".

Always Best - Amer