The Career Lounge
Latest Post
Why ask Why??
This is Part II of a 4-part series on Leadership in the Workplace.
Do me a quick favor and rewind the clock back to your childhood. I want you to take a journey back in time to your years of the superman lunchbox and critical notes from your teacher securely fastened to your shirt with a safety-pin. Don’t act like I was the only one used to go home looking like a human billboard. Have you traveled back in time yet? Good job. Your mom or dad just told you to do your homework before you watch television. You never understood why homework came before after-school cartoons. After all, you worked hard all day at school and thought it was quite reasonable to get a quick break before working through long division math problems. You summoned the requisite amount of courage and asked, “Mom, why can’t I watch television before I do my schoolwork?” If your parents were anything like my mom they responded with four words a kid never wanted to hear, “BECAUSE I SAID SO!”
I never understood why my mom couldn’t just answer the question. I mean she expected me to answer every question she zipped my way. All I wanted her to do was explain the logic behind her request, but no dice. Needless to say Thundercats always took a backseat to spelling or reading.
Doesn’t it suck to ask a person a question and they play the higher rank card? Typically we ask questions to fill knowledge gaps. So why are many corporate leaders so uncomfortable answering the “why” question after doling out directives to their teams? What is wrong with a professional asking for clarity? Oftentimes insecure leaders interpret the WHY question as an attack on their power and credibility when it is merely a temporary roadblock to an employee’s ability to properly execute. If I ask my boss why we were heading in a particular direction and she gave me the dreaded four word response, I’d be slightly offended. After I got over the flashback to my childhood (don’t worry I don’t need therapy), I would channel my inner Ced the Entertainer and think, “I’m a grown a*# man so why is she talking to me like this.”
4 Steps to Respond to the Why Question
- Don’t take it personally. Your team is only asking the question so they have the required clarity to perform their role at a high level
- Answer the question. Seriously, this shows strength and will increase credibility with your team.
- Check for understanding. After you answer the question make sure your team member does not have more questions that can impact their performance.
- Restate the task. This is a simple but critical step. You can’t lose sight of your original request just because they asked for clarity. Make sure you both walk away from the encounter on the same page.
What do you think?
Have you worked for a boss who did not like to be questioned? How did you handle that?
