Getting to the Root – Refining the Detail

Previous Posts in this series:

Now we have painted the first draft of our picture, and it is time to zoom in and refine the detail. Here are some questioning tactics to really drive in to the detail and bring clarity.

“So What?” – Root Needs and Requirements

The question “so what?” sounds quite harsh, but delivered in the right way it can really help you dig down and uncover the real why behind why someone wants something.

It can be delivered as a straight “so what” or used as the start of a more specific question. Here are some useful “so what?” examples you could use:

So what… would happen if we don’t do this?
So what… does this enable?
So what… value does this bring?
So what… problem does this solve?
So what… caused that problem to begin with?
So what… are all the options we have got to address this?

And you don’t need to stop at your first so what!

Keep asking the questions to uncover the real why behind the goal you have identified.

You see often, people will not straight off articulate the real root why behind what they are asking for. They give you the version of the why that has already been filtered and processed in to something they think is actionable for you. Upon digging in to this, you can uncover the real why which then unlocks a broader pallet of “whats?” to choose from.

The same applies for the goals that we set for ourselves. Our egos very often misdirect away from the real root driver behind why our goals are what they are. Especially when the goals are material positions or things relating to our appearance.

Rather than me provide some examples (because the roots are different for all of us), try it yourself. Refer back to your list of challenges that you wrote down… cycle though the why questions and make some notes, then challenge some of the notes with your so what questions.

Some questions for you to ponder while you do this:

Where do you end up?
Is it different from where you started?
If you complete this with multiple challenges, is there a patten you can see with the real whys that emerge?

“Yes, and what else?” – Unpacking the Detail

If “so what?” is all about tracing your why back to the source, “yes, and what else?” is all about unpacking the detail to refine your understanding.

“Yes, and” is super useful when you are digging in to the what and trying to flesh out the detail.

The approach is simple, ask a question aiming to uncover some detail, then when the person has finished sharing (or so they think!) simply ask them “yes, and what else?”.

Then sit there is silence and see what they offer up!

Much like “so what?”, if appropriate you can use this multiple times to help the other person really open up and share detail enabling you to envision the best what for the why.

This is also a great tactic to use in your own inner dialogue. If you feel yourself quickly answering your own questions in a bid to move things along to another topic, be bold and challenge yourself by asking “yes, and what else?”. This can bring some discomfort as you may find yourself facing in to some hard truths. Self-practice is important with this tactic, as when you have experienced firsthand what “and what else?” feels like, you will be more empathetic when doing it with others.

The Five Whys

Things don’t always go to plan. This is a fact.

When mistakes happen or things unfold in unforeseen ways, it is important to stand back and learn from the situation.

In a professional setting, people often refer to this as a wash up, a retrospective, a lesson learned session, or a post mortem (delightful!).

Regardless of what it is called, the purpose is the same, uncover the detail of what happened, discuss why it happened, identify things that could be done different in the future to prevent the same thing happening again.

This being said, people often walk past the fact that this exact same approach can be used for when things when well and you want to identify the perfect recipe of the things to repeat in the future to maximise the chance of things going well again. Keep in mind that there are two sides to every coin.

So regardless of if you are in search of the good or the bad, there is a little tactic to help you explore all the angles – it is called the five whys?

It is pretty simple; identify the thing you want to explore, then ask why did that happen?

Then simply keep going with your whys aiming for five at a minimum or simply just keep going until you have run out of layers to unpick.

In doing this you may find you actually end up tracing the source of the event back to somewhere which on the surface is far removed from where you started. Each layer you peel away uncovers lessons to help you shape your future actions.

So next time you hit a bump in the road, try the five whys questioning game and see what the real root cause is.

Socratic Questioning

I really have saved the best until last here. The Socratic questioning approach is all about uncovering first principles and challenging assumptions. A first principle is a piece of information that cannot be broken down or understood any further.

These questions are powerful and can be used at any stage in your getting to the root journey.

Why do I think this?
- Clarifying your thinking and explaining the origins of your ideas
How do I know this is true?
- Challenging assumptions
How can I back this up?
- Looking for evidence
What might others think?
- Considering alternative perspectives
What if I am wrong?
- Examining consequences and implications
Why did I think that?
- Questioning the original questions

The power of these questions lies in their ability to help you strip your thinking back to leave only what can be trusted and relied upon for meaningful action.

Do exercise caution though as these questioning strategies (especially this one) can give rise to over thinking. The aim of these questions is to bring clarity and enable decision making to unlock action.

Thinking isn’t progress.

But deciding is.

However, results only come with action.

Benefits and Practical Applications

Whenever we set out to do something, be that for ourselves or for other people, the first stage always involves contracting. The act of reaching clear agreement between all parties involved around why we need to do something and what is it we need to make manifest.

Having these powerful questions at your fingertips enables you to achieve absolute clarity during contacting so all parties involved are clear about what to expect.

Mastering the use of these questions allows you to take an active role in shaping this reality rather then just being a passive receiver of “things to do”. This active posture is a posture of proactivity and confidence. It is a way of being that fuels your sense of self-worth by promoting your ability to apply your energy and focus towards only the things which truly makes a difference.

You see critical thinking is a skill. A skill that a lot of people over look.

So, learning how to apply these questions will help you cut out the noise and lead yourself towards a more structured and focussed way of being. This is fundamentally learning how to lead yourself. And once you know how to lead yourself, then you can inspire and lead others towards achievement of your collective vision of success.