One of the most powerful questions I’ve ever known, both in my personal and professional life is “why?”. That one simple word has saved my company tens of thousands of dollars, saved me from making irreversible mistakes, and allowed the avoidance of countless situations of wasted time, energy, or both.
So, why (see what I did there) do we not ask this more? Are we lazy? Too embarrassed that we don’t already know the answer? Or (and, unfortunately, I believe this to be more the case than not) have we just, as a human race, been trained to shut up and accept the status quo? We are told as children to trust our parents and teachers because their role is to inform us on the things we don’t yet know; we are told as adolescence to go to a good college and get a high-paying job because that is what will make us happy; we are told as employees in the work force to follow the direction of our boss(es) because they know the best intentions of the company; but still that question lingers: why?
"Now that I’m the person in the driver’s seat, I foster an environment that it’s not only acceptable, but expected, for my associates and partners to ask why, give suggestions, insert their knowledge, wisdom, perspective, and opinions into everything we do here at Foundation Financing. I’m happy to say that some of the best initiatives (or killing of initiatives) have stemmed from this. Apple CEO Steve Jobs is famously quoted as saying, “It doesn’t make sense to hire smart people and tell them what to do; we hire smart people so they can tell us what to do.” And trust me, I’ve got some geniuses around me, and I listen to them; I wouldn’t allow it any other way!"
So, why (see what I did there) do we not ask this more? Are we lazy? Too embarrassed that we don’t already know the answer? Or (and, unfortunately, I believe this to be more the case than not) have we just, as a human race, been trained to shut up and accept the status quo? We are told as children to trust our parents and teachers because their role is to inform us on the things we don’t yet know; we are told as adolescence to go to a good college and get a high-paying job because that is what will make us happy; we are told as employees in the work force to follow the direction of our boss(es) because they know the best intentions of the company; but still that question lingers: why?
One of the most powerful questions I’ve ever known, both in my personal and professional life is “why?”. That one simple word has saved my company tens of thousands of dollars, saved me from making irreversible mistakes, and allowed the avoidance of countless situations of wasted time, energy, or both.
So, why (see what I did there) do we not ask this more? Are we lazy? Too embarrassed that we don’t already know the answer? Or (and, unfortunately, I believe this to be more the case than not) have we just, as a human race, been trained to shut up and accept the status quo? We are told as children to trust our parents and teachers because their role is to inform us on the things we don’t yet know; we are told as adolescence to go to a good college and get a high-paying job because that is what will make us happy; we are told as employees in the work force to follow the direction of our boss(es) because they know the best intentions of the company; but still that question lingers: why?
So, I encourage you, whether it be a process that is inefficient, an expense that is unnecessary, an accepted way of thinking that seems unsound, ask why. Ask yourself why more often than you ask others, but ask it out loud when the question needs to be vocalized (with proper timing and a respectful manner, of course), and surround yourself with others who encourage that way of thinking, as well. Why doesn’t end a conversation, it starts it. So much time, energy, and resources can be saved when we cut the BS and just get to the heart of the matter in one simple (or not so simple) word.
So, I encourage you, whether it be a process that is inefficient, an expense that is unnecessary, an accepted way of thinking that seems unsound, ask why. Ask yourself why more often than you ask others, but ask it out loud when the question needs to be vocalized (with proper timing and a respectful manner, of course), and surround yourself with others who encourage that way of thinking, as well. Why doesn’t end a conversation, it starts it. So much time, energy, and resources can be saved when we cut the BS and just get to the heart of the matter in one simple (or not so simple) word.
It doesn’t make sense to hire smart people and tell them what to do; we hire smart people so they can tell us what to do
Apple CEO