The Questioning Mindset Part-3
Many of us, including you, are scared of this question, so what is the question that scares so many people?
In India and China, we have this aversion to asking this particular question. Especially if something is said by a person of authority. I was one curious child growing up. When anyone said just about anything I would ask them this question. It is not hard to decipher I wasn’t the favourite grandchild. My dad and mum though answered every question I had to the best of their abilities. When they couldn’t they would give me a bunch of books to satiate my curiosity. I thought I was odd growing up until I found out it isn’t a bad thing, and that some of the world greatest minds ask this question when they struggle to make sense of something.
WHY❓ but WHY❓
The Person’s WHY:
Why is something that defines the very purpose of your existence, and thereby that of everything else in your life? For instance — Why should I exist? Why should I exercise? Why should I follow the rules? Why should I donate blood? Why should I meditate? Every student, scientist, an individual can apply this to find meaning and purpose for their being and the things they do. There are so many versions of this question you can ask yourself, your mentors, your coaches, your family, and you are bound to get some amazing answers.
“He who has a why to live can bear with almost any how.” — Friedrich Nietzsche
The Company’s WHY:
As an entrepreneur, this is the most powerful question you can ever ask. In fact, this world will not be what it is today if not for this question. Now imagine asking this question for your company, your idea, and your dreams. That is what Simon Sinek very beautifully conveys in his book Start with why (if you are an audio-visual person catch this TED talk and if you love reading catch this blog summary) — where he talks about why your company should exist in the first place.
“People don’t buy WHAT you do; they buy WHY you do it.” — Simon Sinek
The Design Thinking WHY:
So where do we apply this wonderful question when designing products and services. The trick is to turn two of the scariest things into two of the most opportunistic avenues.
#1 Complaint:
When customers, users, or employees are cribbing, sharing and complaining, there is pain, frustration, disappointment, or curiosity behind it. The key is to ask why they are saying what they are saying, would give you a gold mine of opportunities to solve and new avenues to improve and innovate.
Where to look for these? Feedback sessions, surveys, suggestion boxes, ticketing systems, call support, reviews are some places to start with.
#2 Ideas:
When someone has an idea to give, an advice to share, they actually want us, but just a better or different version of us. Like Henry Ford says, “If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.” Most times when we go to our customers for inspiration to build solutions, we land up with ideas or features, their version of how we can solve their problem. The trick is to pause and ask why they want that idea to exist, what problem of theirs it will solve, and to think if there is a better way of solving it for them. Most times you will find out that they didn’t know what they wanted, or didn’t know a different solution existed, but one thing that is sure is,
· They have a problem that they know/don’t know exists and they may or may not know how to articulate it
Where to look for these? Customers, end users, suggestion or open ideation platforms, competitors, juggad solutions or shortcuts — if you can’t solve it for them they will figure some way to solve it themselves, and you can borrow ideas back from them — build by your own users are some places to start with.
Asking why offends so many people, especially when you are running an organization, teaching a class, ruling a country — you don’t want your people asking you too many why’s right. But if they didn’t you would be stuck in the status quo. When people are asking why and you are not able to answer it properly — there is a high probability you don’t know why you are doing things that you are doing in the way you are doing it.
Me (To my grand uncle): Why should I not sleep under the tree?
Uncle: There are ghosts in the tree and people die when they sleep under it at night…
You know, that conversation didn’t go well. Either a child would have been totally scared and scared for life, or if you were me, and didn’t believe in ghosts, or found too many loopholes in the answer, would have deemed that your uncle doesn’t know what he is talking about.
Me: Dad, why should I not sleep under the tree?
Dad: Who said you can’t sleep under the tree?
Me: This uncle said I would die if I slept under this tree…
Dad: You can sleep under the tree during the morning but not during the night…
Me: But, WHY?
Dad: The tree breathes in carbon-di-oxide during and breathes out oxygen all day, but in the night it does the opposite… is called photosynthesis. You are a creature who breathes oxygen and breathes out carbon-di-oxide day and night…
I never asked WHY again on that particular topic. Because I had reached the root cause and I was satisfied. So you can use 5 why technique for getting to your root causes too.
My favourite kind of twist is to ask ‘WHY NOT?’
Why will get you to the basics, but why not will help you challenge assumptions. Why can’t we do this, Why can’t we reach this, this opens up avenues to unearth huddles, obstacles that are preventing us from reaching a desired future state. Use this technique to understand them, and later overcome them by asking why is this, a problem?
What kind of why questions fascinate you? When was the last time you asked why?
See you soon…
Part-1: Don’t know where to start? Start with the basics — crack your 5W and 1H
Part-2: How change is not the only constant, yet it can keep things spiced up, be it businesses or relationships.
