Kids have an insatiable appetite for knowledge and an unapologetic curiosity for all things new and misunderstood. When they don’t know the answer they actively seek the truth. They have a natural humility without posturing, pretense, or ego wrapped up in their questions; they fill up their knowledge bank by being open. Whenever I’m in the car with my 6 year-old daughter, she bombards me with, “Why this Daddy, why that Daddy?” and if she doesn’t understand how or why something works, from the simple to the complex, she has no hesitation asking. It’s amazing how the power of asking “Why?” and the conversation that follows always leads to a deeper discussion around the subject.
Approach every situation and every business challenge with a learning mindset. Put “why” to work by challenging convention and existing solutions with questions that help you gain knowledge and understanding. Use the power of “why” in all aspects of your work (and in relationships for that matter) for clarity on the objectives, reason for a project, and observational learning around consumer behavior. If you don’t know or you don’t understand why your team or the company is going down a certain path, don’t sit there as an uninformed passenger, ask “why?”! Here are some things you might consider questioning this week:
- Why not?
- Why did you ask me to do this?
- Why are we doing it like this?
- Why are we talking about this?
- Why don’t we think of a better way?
- Why don’t we step back and ask for input?
- Why didn’t I get the promotion?
- Why do people love this?
- Why should I care?
- Why is no one listening to us?