If why is the starting point, then…
Children freely ask “why”, until they are trained out of it. As we get older, we often get less freedom to ask why.
I’ve spent my career building solutions. And when building solutions, there are requirements in the “why”. Plus, you want to know what’s the driver so you can make smart decisions regarding the vision, ask intelligent questions, and in general feel like you’ve been part of creating the ensuing success. But, not everyone in the chain always knows why they are doing something. For a lot of people and companies, the why isn’t important. If you’re one of those endlessly curios people that want to know why you’re working on something and have found or do find yourself in such a spot, read on for some ways to learn the why and how to apply it in other ways.
It was in one such environment, that a director of software development recommended that I read Simon Sinek’s, Start with Why. The director was wildly enthusiastic and said it changed his perspective on how projects and efforts are run. His enthusiasm was overwhelming and I was a huge fan of another Sinek book, Leaders Eat Last, so it was an easy sell. My reaction was not the same as the director’s, however.
Whether you are already someone that asks why or one that doesn’t, it’s worth a read. For those that don’t, you will understand why the question why is so valuable. If you’re like me, it will help you gain valuable insight about how others view the world and how to get everyone on the same page. Just be prepared to wade through some examples that seem obvious to you. And here’s a couple of highlights of how it can define the product and help gain adoption.
Start with your own “Why”
Sinek says that your work and personal why are the same. It’s deeply baked into who you are. We think they’re different because what and how are what we normally discuss. At meetings and dinner parties, we say what our title is, what we do in a daily basis, and/or how we do it. If you don’t know your why, he says the quickest way to find it is call one of your best friends and ask, “Why are we friends?” You’ll have to guide them to answer it but they will eventually tell you.
I discovered my why when reading a college newspaper and found this quote, attributed to Anonymous:
“I’d agree with Socrates that, ‘unexamined life is not worth living’, but this perpetual confusion is not much better.”
Or simply put, and without the humor, we should think about what we’re doing, but not so much that we never do anything. Where that line is changes with each environment. I would argue that wherever the line is though, there should be some level of humor and irony involved. So, my why and therefore product, is analysis and planning, while maintaining momentum and results.
The Apple Example
Sinek also uses why Apple can sell computers, phones, iPads, and other things that their competitors have failed at, is they don’t market their what. In this commercial from 20 years ago, the casual looking guy representing Apple praises the PC for spreadsheets and says, “I’m better at life stuff, music, pictures, movies”. Apple described itself as the innovator and disruptor. In this commercial, to push their new “Retina” display, they didn’t talk about pixels or the tech that made it happen they just showed colors in a creative way. So, we don’t think of Apple as just a computer (product) company, they are technology for fun and life and being a renegade. (I am typing all of this on a PC, to be fair and balanced.)
And So?
Why does this matter? Well if you and your company are taking the time to build, integrate, or improve your working environment, people are more likely to get on board, if they know why. Counting on The Field of Dreams, “if you build it they will come” probably won’t work. Just telling people features probably won’t help either. You’ll reach a few more if you can tell them why.
And if all it takes, is a good 2 minute story to tell someone why and you can generate a better return on investment, isn’t that worth it? If you need help defining the why, we’d be happy to help with a few questions to help create a solid message.
