Meetings are the bane of human existence. But did you know that even the great philosophers of old knew the secret to making meetings less painful? It's all about the 5 Whys.
The 5 Whys are a technique for getting answers to any question, no matter how complex. They're not just for meetings, but for life in general. Here's how they work:
The first Why is the most important one. It's the foundation upon which the rest of the Whys are built. Without it, the others won't make sense.
Why 2: Who is the person responsible for the problem we're trying to solve? Why 3: What is the root cause of the problem we're trying to solve? Why 4: What is the impact of the problem on the organization? Why 5: What is the solution to the problem we're trying to solve?John: "This coffee machine is broken!"
Bob: "Why?"
John: "Because it's not working."
Bob: "Why is it not working?"
John: "Because the beans are jammed."
Bob: "Why are the beans jammed?"
John: "Because I didn't clean it out last night."
Bob: "Why didn't you clean it out last night?"
John: "Because I was tired."
Bob: "Why were you tired?"
John: "Because I stayed up late playing video games." (Note: This is the root cause of most problems.)
Sue: "I can never find my TPS reports."
Bob: "Why can you never find your TPS reports?"
Sue: "Because I'm always on the phone."
Bob: "Why are you always on the phone?"
Sue: "Because I'm trying to get in touch with John, he's always out on the road."
Bob: "Why is John always on the road?"
Sue: "Because he's trying to get to the root of the coffee machine conundrum." (Note: This is the root cause of most problems.)
Bob: "Where is my lunch?"
John: "Why is your lunch missing?"
Bob: "Because I left it in the break room."
John: "Why did you leave it in the break room?"
Bob: "Because I was trying to make a break room out of the conference room." (Note: This is the root cause of most problems.)