GovLoop

Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?

My son is nearing two and half years old. Just in the past couple days, he’s started asking the question that seems to be the serial signature of kids his age: “Why?”

It reminded me of a principle I learned in my project management training: the importance of asking “why?” five times to determine the root cause of a particular problem or project failure.

While it might seem like common sense, many people and teams don’t ask “why?” at the outset of a project either…which often leads to failure down the road.

Moreover, this question – “why?” – is also critical for employee motivation. Most people want to have a sense of purpose in their work, especially government employees.

As David Allen puts it in the book Getting Things Done:

“Let’s face it: if there’s no good reason to be doing something, it’s not worth doing. I’m often stunned by how many people have forgotten why they’re doing what they’re doing–and by how quickly a simple question like ‘Why are you doing that?’ can get them on track.”

Noted psychologist and concentration camp survivor Viktor Frankl said (and I think he was echoing Nietzsche): those who have a why to live for can bear with almost any how.

In other words, this one small word is pretty important and I’m wondering:

How often are you asking yourself “Why?”

– Why do you get up every morning to make your unique contribution?

– Why are you working in your current job?

– Why is a particular project going well or not?

– Why does a problem or challenge on the job not seem to go away?

– Why are you not attempting to do something about it?

Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?

It’s a great question – and one that I love to answer – even if it takes me five rounds to get at a solid answer.

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