The one thing that intrigues me most in life is the "Why?" I have 6 kids, so I can play the "Why?" game all day long! And I like playing on both sides. Why? is the single-most important question we can ask because it eventually, always gets to the heart of anything.

Asking Why? isn't actually so easy. Why? Well, first of all you have to have just the right personality. There are people out there that can totally piss you off by asking Why? and then there are people that exude compassion and genuine interest in just the way they look at you (and not the creepy types!). Asking Why? requires real interest and a joy in the art of thinking.

Why? is a trip down an unknown path. Many people don't ask Why? because they assume they already know the answer or they really don't care (or probably both). To ask Why?, you have to be willing to share deeper experiences and go out on long, thin limbs over huge canyons of the unknown (that sounds kinda scary!). Kids give up on the Why? rather quickly because they don't have the experience or desire to continue down that kind of path.

So, why does Why? matter? Well, I believe it is the single most best place to start in solving any problem. Customer service metrics off? Net promoter score stuck? Sales slumping? Employee morale down? Technology adoption low? Errors too high? Why?

When we start digging into the Why?, we discover all kinds of hidden secrets, places we didn't want to go and things we've been avoiding. Not dealing with these root issues will destroy all attempts at improvement and change.

Here's the reality: If your customer service sucks, its probably because your management sucks. If your net promoter score is stuck its probably because a clear vision for creating a "Wow!" at every opportunity is missing. Sales slumps are often caused because the actual customer is being ignored. Employee morale suffers when leadership gets distracted.... Do you see how Why? gets down to the root of the problem?

Can we have a conversation about an area of your business that needs improvement?

Why?

Why not?