Ask why

Many years ago, I knew a boy named Werner.  Werner was full of energy and very inquisitive.

Werner's most annoying, and most endearing quality, was his persistent asking “Why?”.  He would drive me crazy with his barrage of “But why?” questions.  I hope Werner never stopped asking why.

We must all ask why more often, and with more determination.

Ricardo Semler, the forward thinking CEO of Semco, first made me aware of the importance of asking why in business.  In his brilliant book, The Seven Day Weekend, Semler explains why business leaders must keep asking why things are done certain ways in their business.  Then ask why three times in a row.  Why do we need a dress code?  Why do we work from the office?  Why do we work certain hours?

The answers to each of the questions will explore new possibilities and potentially better ways of doing things.  It's a very powerful tool in lateral thinking.

In business, all employees should be given the freedom to ask why.  Everyone must be encouraged to ask why.  All the time.

The world changes rapidly and we must question the way we do things.  All the time.  Staying the same will leave us behind.

I'm inclined to question the status quo and believe asking why is just as important in our personal lives.  We must get back our inquisitiveness. 

We must question our values and we must question society. We must question politicians and question business leaders.  We must question religion and we must question tradition.

Don't be afraid to ask why of any of the areas of your life.  If you can answer “Why?” sensibly three times in a row, you'll have confirmation.  If you can't, you'll have reason to explore and effect change.

But remember this: “It's always been like that” and “I was told to do it that way” are not valid answers.

Think.  Explore.  Change.  Grow.