Authentic Global Solutions

It was Simon Sinek who said “Start with why” when attempting to inspire others to take action. As a business analyst, I have found this concept very useful particularly during the analysis phase of a project or business change activity. The “Why” of a thing is at the very heart of purpose. So whether you’re analysing a business problem or searching for a solution it is very beneficial to identify a purpose from the get go and pursue the purpose relentlessly.

Here is an example I have encountered in my work experience: While attempting to find a solution to a business problem, we (the project team) went round circles trying to outline and define the problem and how we might solve it. The situation quickly descended into chaos as everyone had an opinion about what needed to change and how the change could be effected. With every option placed on the table was a counter objection as to why it would not work. After several iterations and meetings, it dawned on me that we had neglected the most important question – WHY? why did we need a change? The answer to the Why gave us the purpose for which the change was required. It set the boundaries for HOW the purpose would be fulfilled and ultimately guided the decisions on WHAT was needed and WHEN it was needed. This helped us reset and successfully move forward.

The tragedy is that most of us focus first on what needs to be done and how we will do it before confronting why it is being done. It is unfortunate that we often get into activities without really asking why we are doing it or what purpose we are going to achieve by doing it. When we don’t ask why, we run the risk of:

• Doing the unnecessary
• Prioritising insignificant things
• Doing the wrong thing
• Missing out on an opportunity innovate or improve
• Wasting time

I think many of us shy away from asking why because it forces us to confront facts or challenging situations. The benefit of answering the why question however is that it forms a common vision for all to work with and consequently inspires confidence. If we all know why we are doing something, not only will we do it well, we are likely to do it better. When we know exactly why we are doing something it becomes very easy figuring out how to do it and testing that what we have done is fit for purpose becomes an easy task.

In my opinion, the why of a thing can be very dynamic as the world is changing very fast. Therefore you must continue to check-in with your Why, making sure your Why has not changed (or something else has not caused your why to change) and that your actions and decisions are still in line with the purpose.

So I challenge us to ask Why? more often, not just when making business decisions but in everyday activities. Ask yourself why you are writing a report every week? Why do I need to do this activity? Why am I in this meeting? Why am I doing this.

If you are a leader, I encourage you to create a culture that encourages people to ask Why. You will ultimately get better results.

“All highly competent people continually search for ways to keep learning, growing, and improving. They do that by asking WHY. After all, the person who knows HOW will always have a job, but the person who knows WHY will always be the boss.”

Benjamin Franklin

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