Why?

Why. It’s the most powerful tool in my arsenal and my secret to ultimately solving what’s wrong.

Last week I did a thing - I launched OutSight Design Group - the aim of which is helping consumer brands identify their inefficiencies and get physical products to market that are both worthy of their brands, and resonant with the people who buy and use them.

Those conversations start with focused listening and are typically followed by my first response: “Why?”. There’s usually a pause…then the floodgates open with things we’ve likely all heard before: we’ve always done it this way, the owners want double digit growth, we need “new news”, that person is really difficult but nobody knows how to deal with them, etc…. The list goes on and it’s no indictment on anyone, it’s just fact. Inertia gets the best of all companies, so pausing to ask WHY is often the simplest way to beginning the priority list of things to fix.

Next time you’re in a staff meeting with your boss and you genuinely question something, open your mouth and ask Why. And yes, you may sound like a 5 year old asking mom why the sky is blue, but I bet you’ll get the same pause I do. And it’ll most certainly get some dialogue going.