Always ask “Why?”

Always ask "Why?"

Little kids ask "Why?" all the time, because they are sponges for learning. They don't know what they don't know, and so they ask "Why?" to get a better understanding. As we get older, we tend to lose this natural curiosity, either because we assume "Why?" has already been asked and answered or we're just too busy to bother.

We need to be more like little kids.

One of the greatest parts of my work is that, as an outsider coming in to an organization for the first time, I can ask "Why?" about pretty much anything since I'm new to almost everything being discussed.

And "Why?" is such a powerful question because it's not asked as often as it should be. How many times have you heard the answer to "Why?" as some form of "Because we've always done it that way"?

Asking "Why?" forces us to justify what we're doing. Whether it's data that we're collecting, technology we're using, or business processes and rules we're executing, asking "Why?" can help us determine if we're doing something out of habit rather than for a good reason.

So be like those little kids and ask "Why?" more often. You'll be amazed at what you learn!

Wes's Wednesday Wisdom Archives

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It’s hard to get UNangry

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Some history IS important!

December 7, 2022

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“Many mickles make a muckle.”

November 30, 2022

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It’s easy to collect; it’s harder to manage

November 16, 2022

It’s easy to collect; it’s harder to manage The beauty of today’s highly configurable AMS …

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Tell them why you want the data

November 9, 2022

Tell them why you want the data Because data is so easy to collect these …

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Don’t get hung up on something minor

November 2, 2022

Don’t get hung up on something minor I’m a problem solver. I love to solve …

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Be flexible, especially for unusual requests

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“Her eyes were bigger than her stomach.”

October 19, 2022

“Her eyes were bigger than her stomach.” When I was a child, my siblings used …

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