Why

It seems interesting that I would be spending time thinking about this today.  I remember when my children were little, it was my most dreaded question.  It came at me time and time again, almost seeming as though it would have no end.  And now, as an adult, managing other adults, I wish that I would hear it more often.  As we go through our day - handling all the things that get thrown at us, we continually make the best decisions we know how to make. I believe that if those around us would be willing to ask 'why' when they do not understand, we would make better decisions and be more open to fuller understanding.

Let me give you an example.  At one point in my life I worked for a gentleman, let’s call him Rich, who believed that the best way to get to the truth was to ask 'why' seven times.  He would ask you a question and regardless of your response, his next question would be why.  This would continue for seven rounds, and honestly, by the time that you got to the last one, anything that was artificial had been stripped away.  Even more important in this process, however, was the fact that you quickly decided you didn't want to go through this process very often and immediately gave him the answer you would give at the end of the seven whys.

It struck me in the last couple of days that I would like to figure out how to get the folks that I work with to ask why that many times.  As we go along doing our jobs, there are times that folks really don’t get the 'why' of what they are doing, they only get the message that they need to do something.  If we all did a better job of asking the question, and even more importantly, answering the 'why,' we would all be much more effective.  We would actually be rowing the boat in the same direction rather than in circles because we know why.

I decided to test my theory today.  I gave a presentation not unlike many that I have done for this group in the past, but today, I tried to give more information about why we are doing things, rather than just what we needed to do.  It was really interesting to watch the group.  They were more engaged actually asked more questions than usual.

On Wednesday of this week I had a chance to listen to Billy Taylor from Goodyear.  He has the distinction of turning more Goodyear plants around than anyone else.  And he is a very simple, straightforward man, and his assertions are just as simple: 1) people want to know what the goal is, 2) they want to know why, and 3) they want to be listened to.  Some of us would have a tendency to say “duh," who doesn't get that?  The truth of the matter is that although everyone understands this, few are capable of incorporating it into their typical day and the way they interact with their team.  As I listened to Billy, it struck me that he would be able to work with practically any team, whether business or sports, and be successful.  The flip side is that it should make each of us ask if we are being that way, the right way with those that we are around.  It certainly made me think about it.

I have another acquaintance who sits on an Executive Roundtable with me. He states that he manages nobody, he only supports people.  And although I have always understood what he was talking about, it means more to me today.

So I think back to when my kids were asking 'why' a MILLION times, and I know now that I should have gloried in each one of those questions.  Even if asked one hundred times, I should have answered.  I will do this differently going forward, and if I ever have grandchildren, they will know everything that they want to.  If they ask why, I will answer.  And in the meantime, I will do everything to encourage those around me to ask why, and when they don’t ask, I will work to fill in the blanks and give the why information for them.  This is my commitment going forward.

On a completely separate note, a new pinball machine comes to the Toybox this weekend.  It was a machine that sat in my Uncle Chuck and Aunt Pat’s basement and the family has honored me by asking if I would give it a new home.  I absolutely will, with a huge smile on my face.  But, this may mean that some other important stuff at the Toybox doesn't get done quite so quickly. If you are waiting for projects to be complete, it may take a little longer.

Everyone talks about 'gamers'  today. In the analog age, we were pinball junkies - some of us even pinball wizards.  Names change - behaviors don’t.  Have a great weekend.