5 Whys, for being better

For many decades now, the 5 Why concept has been widely used for finding root cause for a problem. You can expand its use to beyond work and make lean concepts such as this, a part of your life. You can also use it to change directions and help lay next steps to course-correct. All one has to do is ask — ‘Why?’.

For example, before starting a new task, say, a new hobby, or a new product you plan to build/launch, a key question to ask is — “Why?” — When you answer the first ‘Why?’, ask why a few more times, and each time phrase your question based on the previous answer. Additionally, the key here is to look for well thought out answers and not for an easy way out of the questioning process. When you hit the third ‘Why’, you should get a clear view on where you are headed, and if it doesn’t, asking ‘Why’ a few more times should result in an answer. Not only can it guide you to an answer, but validate if it is an endeavor you need to be taking on, and give an idea of the return on investment. It also helps you to truly check why you are embarking on a journey, before you put in too much time and effort.

An example:

I am a little stressed at work

Why? — Because I have a huge task list to get done.

Why? — Because I couldn’t say no to my colleague when I was asked.

Why? — Because I felt a need to help and also couldn’t say no.

Why? — I did not want to offend or appear as if I wasn’t being helpful.

In this situation the root cause of the problem is “not able to say no”, so this takes you to the finding solution phase. So, a good path forward would be for the person to share his/her list of pending tasks with the colleague. Let them know their current priorities, effort and time to complete them. This will bring transparency and can now proceed to decline the new task without offending the colleague.

When you apply this to more personal situations, like a relationship or a job, you can course-correct if you aren’t happy where you are. Asking “Why” will make you ponder and get to the true reason.

Rather than brood over the situation, you can consciously shift your efforts towards a more constructive next steps, focus on what you can control, and act on it.