During my health care career, I often found myself in situations where significant change had to occur in order for the hospital to survive. In the dynamic business environment we all find ourselves in these days, its change or die. Sink or swim. You get the picture, I’m sure.
We all know how difficult it is for people to change but real leaders know how critical it is to question WHY? My executive coach once told me years ago, “Leaders ask why, followers ask how.” Think about it for a second. When an employee asks “how,” they are asking for directions to do a task. Okay, nothing in this world is ever absolute, so asking “how” is sometimes necessary, regardless of what position you are in. But if that’s all you ask, change seldom occurs.
Asking “why” is a different dynamic. The essence of it is oriented to understanding a process, policy or procedure….so you can look at it from a different angle and improve upon it. How many times have you heard “because we’ve always done it this way” or “that’s the way I was told to do it.” So bust through those walls and ask why. Pick it apart and find a better way to do it. Remember Einstein’s theory on insanity….doing the same thing the same way and expecting a different outcome? So how can we expect to change outcomes if we don’t ask “why”? One of the many responsibilities of leadership is to create an environment where creativity lives and widen the circle of your employees’ involvement in the process to improve performance. When you ask “why”, also be prepared to encourage your colleagues and co-workers to find a better way. That’s where the real power of “why” begins.