Why you should ask why

 

Have you ever been around a really precocious child that keeps asking why? Sure, it can get annoying, but the kid is on to something.

 

One of the things we forget to do enough as adults is to ask why – and then KEEP asking why until we really get to the heart of it.

There is a really simple “technique” you can use called variously the 5 Whys, or 6 Whys, or 3 Whys. For simplicity, we’ll call it the X Whys. I put “technique” in scare quotes because it’s really more of a habit than a technology requiring a specific procedure (though there are people out there willing to charge you to make sure you ask ‘why’ correctly).

The goal is to get beyond the surface to understanding the root causes or issues. It is most often applied to problem analysis, but it can be applied to practically anything.

The process is simple:

1. Identify a problem or challenge (or any other topic that you want to explore)
2. Ask “why”
3. Repeat until you get to heart of the matter.

Really. It’s that simple.

But how do you know that you’ve gotten to the heart of the matter? Well, when I was the precocious child it was when my dad got so frustrated that he said “it’s a God thing” (which also pretty much sums up my current theology). You can tell you’ve gotten to the heart when the only answer you can give to “why” is “because.”

Now, there are a few different ways you can use the results of the process. Your penultimate response – the one just before “because” – often highlights core values or principles. And the one just before that often highlights a core process.

In the end, the real value comes simply from asking the question and tapping into that curiosity to really understand what is going on that we all had as children. The good news is that you still have it in you… just start asking why. Why not?

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