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Edition 499 – The Power Of Why

Written by Dean Robinson.

In business, we’re presented with opportunities, and options, on a daily basis. Some of them come from outside, be it from observing what others are doing, or someone making a suggestion, that triggers an idea for us. Others are moments of clarity that pop into our head. A new product or service line. New potential employees, that could add value to our business. A different way of doing things, that might improve output, or efficiency.

In my experience, what happens inside of family business when these epiphanies arise, is that business owners go off half cocked, and enthusiastically embrace the idea, without giving it deeper thought. Perhaps its boredom with what they’re doing in their day-to-day that triggers such a response. Perhaps it’s their inability to focus on a single task. Or, just maybe, it’s because they’ve seen an alternate future they want to bring to fruition, sooner than later. Irrespective of the reason, emotional and business capital is invested, very early in the piece.

In my opinion, all of this comes about as a result of the business owners asking themselves the wrong questions. They’re focussed on any one, or a combination, of:

  1. What?
  2. Who?
  3. Where?
  4. How?
  5. When?

In my opinion, all of that is completely wrong? They’re asking themselves, in essence, how to turn the idea from thought to action, rather than stopping and reflecting on the most important question of all:

  1. Why?

Recently, in working with a new client, it was this drilling down on “why” at the start of our two day session together, that changed the complexion of everything. Instead of reviewing a number of very exciting options that were on the table in relation to the future direction of their business, we focussed on “why” in terms of:

  1. Why did you go into business in the first place?
  2. Why are you entertaining these options in your business right now?
  3. Why have you not reconsidered what you want out of the business in the future?
  4. Why have you fallen out of love with the business?
  5. Why do you do, what you do, with the people you do?

By asking lots of “why” questions, we tapped into the vault of emotion that was within. As one of my business mentors Alan Weiss remarks, “logic makes you think, emotion makes you act”. In this circumstance, it was by connecting with this emotion, that we, in some ways, went back to the start, to the very foundations of why this individual went into business, in the first place. Without strong foundations, nothing substantive can be built.

The next time a new business idea pops into your head, or someone slides a suggestion across the table to you, think first of the “why” question. You might just save an enormous amount of energy and work from heading down rabbit holes, and thus not allow yourself to get distracted from the true work, that makes a difference, inside your small or family business.

This Week’s Tip


By drilling down on the “why”,

you’ll get closer to the core of your passion in, and for, your business.”