The 5 Whys and What We are Missing

The 5 Whys and What We are Missing Most managers are excellent problem solvers. The problem is they’re solving the presenting problem, the one on the surface, not the real one underneath. And that’s exactly why the same situations keep triggering the same reactions, the same frustration, the same exhaustion. The Five Whys technique was originally developed in manufacturing to trace defects back to their root cause. But it works just as well on human behavior, including your own. How to connect with AgileDad: - [website] ⁠https://www.agiledad.com/⁠ https://www.agiledad.com/ - [instagram] ⁠https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/⁠ https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/ - [facebook] ⁠https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/⁠ https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/ - [Linkedin] ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

• 0:01Speaker 00

  I've heard so many people talk about the five whys. And the five whys are great, but sometimes they could lead you to solve the wrong problem. So my question is, how can we apply the five whys and stop solving the wrong problem at work? Most managers think they know why they're frustrated, but the fact is, they usually don't. So the five whys came out, oh my gosh, right around Toyota time, we're talking about Toyota quality management. It's intended to be a simple technique that uncovers the real problem behind the surface reaction. It takes less than two minutes to do in real time on yourself or with your team or whatever. But what we found is that most people do this incorrectly. Let me explain what I mean by that.

• 0:44Speaker 00

  Some people, when they go into five wise mode, they turn into Olaf from Frozen. Now, for any of you who've seen Frozen, you know exactly what I'm talking about. You know, Olaf's the little snowman. I don't have a skull or bones, right? But then all of a sudden, when you ask him a question or tell him something, you know, he's like, he's like, I don't understand. And you tell me, he's like, why? And then you tell me again, he's like, why? You tell me again, he's like, why? It's like, it drives you crazy, right? It's like nails on a chalkboard.

• 1:11Speaker 00

  Most managers are excellent problem solvers. The problem is they're solving the presenting problem, the one that they see on the surface, and not the real one that lies underneath. And that's why I think Olaf was pretty smart to ask why. And that's exactly why the same situations keep triggering the same reactions, the same frustration, the same exhaustion and the same responses. You know, this is hashtag hidden factory. We're solving the same thing over and over again, instead of solving it once and documenting how we solved it. Five wise was originally developed, like I said, in manufacturing to trace defects back to their root. But you know, it works just as well in human behavior, including yours.

• 1:51Speaker 00

  So here's how it works. You start with a gut feeling, not analysis, not solution, just a feeling. I feel upset. I'm overwhelmed. I'm frustrated. I'm outside of my sorts. I'm not normal, right? Something's not right. Then you ask why five times. So let me give you a real example from a coaching session.

• 2:13Speaker 00

  I'm upset. Why are you upset? Because there's something I don't know how to do. Why don't you know how to do it? Because I haven't taken the time to learn the steps. Why haven't you taken the time? Well, I just don't have enough time. I don't have any time. Why do you not have enough time? Because there are so many more important things that are on my plate that I have to get done today. Why do you have to get those done today? Because someone else keeps adding to my list without removing anything. Hard stop. We started with, I'm upset. And we ended with, someone else is managing my priorities for me. That's two completely different problems requiring two completely different solutions. But how many times do we start with, I'm upset?

• 2:57Speaker 00

  And jump on that and take in a completely different direction? The first one you fix by learning something. The second one you fix by having a conversation or asking a better question. Now that you've added this, which item would you like to deprioritize? Right? That one question changes the dynamic of a whole entire conversation entirely. It's not pushback. It's clarity and it protects your time without burning the relationship. But the truth is, most managers skip this. Because asking why sometimes feels slow when you're already under pressure to move faster. The instinct is to react, to fix, to push it through.

• 3:36Speaker 00

  But when you skip the root cause analysis, you end up solving the wrong problem very efficiently and very effectively. You get really good at putting out a fire that keeps reigniting because the source of the fire was never addressed. There we go. And so when you're with your team, you may want to say, how do I address this? What do I do? You have to understand that the five whys thing, it works in both directions. You can use them yourself in a quiet moment. Journaling, walking, right after a meeting that you left unsettled. You can also use it in a one-on-one with a team member who seems stuck or reactive. The key is to make sure you're staying curious and not trying to interrogate.

• 4:17Speaker 00

  Each why is an invitation to dive a little deeper, not an accusation that something is wrong. When someone feels safe enough to keep answering, they almost always arrive at the real thing on their own that's bothering them. And that self-discovered insight is far more powerful than anything you could have told them. So I challenge you. In fact, I want you to try this this week. Next time you feel frustrated at work, before you react or bin or push through, pause for a moment, write down your answer to the question, touch brass. Here's the question. Why am I actually upset right now? Then ask why again, and again, and again. Set a timer for two-minute rounds if you need to. You don't need to get to five whys. You could you could just get past the first answer and realize the second answer is the

• 5:02Speaker 00

  real one. But I can tell you right now, the first answer is almost always never the real problem. The real insight is usually a couple of layers deep, if not three. And once you find it, you'll know exactly what to do next. It's like an Oprah moment, a lightbulb moment. So I think the big thought here is the five whys isn't about finding someone to blame, including yourself. It's about being honest enough to solve the right problem. Most leaders are working incredibly hard on the wrong thing because they never stop to ask why enough times. One question asked five times can change the direction of your entire work week. So my challenge to you is to make that happen. If you're looking for that high stakes leadership moment, if you're looking to get the

• 5:47Speaker 00

  best one-on-one interview, if you're trying to work through a problem that's been going on forever, find a way to incorporate this. And I can assure you that you'll be in a much better place than you were when you first started doing it. That's going to do it for this episode. I hope you enjoyed it. If you have a topic you want us to discuss, learnmoredad.com. I'd love to hear from you. And as always, we encourage you to stay healthy, stay well, and stay agile, my friends. Until next time, do take care. Bye now.