1. I worked for the State of Wisconsin for ten years, primarily in the area of human resources. It became clear to me very quickly that managers generally told their employees what to do, how to do it, and when to do it. But they rarely, if ever, told them why it was important.

If you don’t know why something needs to be done, what its purpose might be, or what the consequences could be if it isn’t done- then it is very difficult to:

(a) be invested in performing the specific project,

(b) make useful decisions to further the success of the project, or

2. This is particularly pertinent to the issue of change management. If we really want people to change behavior, they need to see why it will benefit them. It is neither compelling nor engaging to tell them that management wants it or that the law mandates it. They need to understand why choosing not to change will adversely impact them in ways that truly matter to them.

3. For this reason, I stress the importance of having two goals for every learning program: what the participants will learn and why they will care about it. Our learning objectives evolve from our training goals. If we don’t focus in on why the participants will want to learn what we are teaching, we may have great difficulty getting their buy in.

4. Little children continually ask “why?” It is not enough for them to see that the sky is blue, they want to know why it’s blue. They seem to have an innate understanding that everything has a purpose. They want to learn the reason for things and thoughts and behaviors- and they often stump adults, because many of us have set aside our curiosity. We have lost our sense of wonder at life. I wonder why?

5. However, there are adults who retain their sense of wonder and curiosity about the world. Scientists spend their lives trying to discover the why behind natural phenomena.

6. Actually, I think that anyone who cares about doing a good job wants to find the answer to why: Why do children drop out of school? Why does a rocket booster fail? Why do plants grow in one place and not another? There are an infinite number of questions that start with why?

7. Why is ultimately a politically charged word. Unless we question why things are the way they are, we won’t be able to understand them. If we don’t understand their origin and purpose, we will have no benchmark to judge whether or not the purpose is being achieved. My guess is that all changes: all inventions, all creativity, all revolutions began with someone asking “Why?” Why is it this way and not that way? Why do some people have everything while many people have nothing?

8. I used to have a friend who responded to every why with a why not? So often, we ask someone why they are doing something- and implicit in our question is a clear judgment that they should NOT be doing that something. The flip side of asking why is looking at alternatives- why this, why not that?

9. Someone long ago responded to my question why? by saying that “Y is a crooked letter.” It is a clever way to distract someone so that you don’t have to give him or her a real answer. However, it is terribly frustrating to receive that response when you really want to know something.

10. There are times we ask “why?” without any expectation that we will receive a satisfying answer: Why me? Why do bad things happen to good people? Sometimes there is no obvious reason why. That is even more demoralizing.

However, a wise woman once told me that when sad things happen, why? is the wrong question. What we need to ask is how? How will we handle this situation? How will we help those who suffer?

Perhaps if someone had stopped to ask How will we handle an oil drilling disaster? or How will we handle it if the levees don’t hold? we might have been better prepared to respond quickly and effectively. Why didn’t anyone anticipate these issues? And if they did, why didn’t they have a plan in place?

May your learning be sweet.

Deborah

Tip #326: Start With “Why”

Posted on June 7, 2010 by admin

“Those who are able to inspire give people a sense of purpose or belonging that has little to do with any external incentive or benefit to be gained.” Simon Sinek

I recently watched a TED presentation by Simon Sinek in which he stressed that people are inspired by Why we do what we do rather than by What we do.

He explained this through his concept of the Golden Circle. Imagine three concentric circles:

* The center circle represents Why we do it.
* The middle circle represents How we do it.
* The outermost circle represents What we do.

According to Sinek:

Why is the “single purpose, cause or belief that serves as the unifying, driving and inspiring force for any individual or organization.

For an organization, the why inspires the products, services, marketing, culture, hiring profile and partnerships the organization makes or performs.

For an individual, the why guides the ideal and most fulfilling decisions- finding a job you love, maintaining friends you trust and buying the brands to which you’re most loyal.”

How is the “guiding principles or actions an organization or individual takes to bring to life their why. Hows are written as verbs as they are actions to be performed and not just inactionable values to be admired, e.g., do the right thing vs. integrity.”

What is the “results of actions taken to bring the why to life; tactics; everything tangible an organization says or does. Everything outsiders can see, hear or experience, e.g. products, services, partnerships, marketing, etc.”

Sinek says that the three levels of certainty in the decisions we make are based on the levels of the Golden Circle. The levels of the Golden Circle relate to the Triune Brain:

In the outer (What) circle, rational decisions [made in the neocortex] are justified on the basis of facts and figures. Although rational decisions are the lowest level of certainty (“I think this is the right decision”) they are easily explained.

In the middle (How) circle, gut decisions [made in the limbic system] are justified on the basis of a “gut feeling” (“I feel this is the right decision.”) Gut decisions have a higher level of certainty than rational decisions, but the reasons that justify the decision are not entirely clear or easily explained. Gut decisions are highly individual.

In the center (Why) circle, Why decisions [also made in the limbic system] “feel right” and can be justified with facts and figures (“I know this is the right decision.”) Why decisions are the highest level of certainty. Multiple people who are driven by the same belief will all agree that the decision feels right and will agree with the facts to justify the decision.

According to Sinek, “People don’t buy What you do, they buy Why you do it. What you do- your products and services- and how you communicate serve as the proof of what you believe.

When you communicate with What, people can understand the facts, figures, features and benefits- but it doesn’t drive their behavior. When you communicate from the inside-out, starting with Why, you influence behavior, and the tangible things you say and do enable people to rationalize their decisions.”

He uses Apple as an example of a company that “follows the principles of the Golden Circle, which is what earns them the ability to inspire innovation and loyalty. If Apple were like everyone else, a marketing message from them would start with What, then try to differentiate with How. But here’s how Apple actually communicates: ‘In all we do, we believe in thinking differently- we challenge the status quo by making our products beautifully designed and simple to use. We just happen to make great computers.’”

Interestingly enough, Apple has just topped Microsoft in market value…

Over twenty-five years ago, I remember visiting the Small Business Development Center at UW-Madison. I wanted to go into business, but I was very concerned about the number of training consultants already in the marketplace. I’ll never forget what Steve Pinkowitz, the Director at that time, told me. He said, “It doesn’t matter how many other training consultants there are, as long as they’re good so that the industry has a good reputation. People will choose to work with you because of who you are as a person and what you stand for.”

I didn’t realize it at the time, but Steve was essentially saying the same thing as Simon Sinek. People (employees, customers, friends) are initially attracted by your beliefs and ideas (your Why). They rationalize their decision to work with or spend time with you based on how you deliver on those beliefs and ideas (your What and How).

You can watch Simon Sinek’s 20-minute presentation at

May your learning be sweet.

Deborah