This article aims at an old tool (although maybe new for you) in an increasingly prevalent situation—lack of depth. Using the 5 Whys tool enables leaders to go deeper with their team members, and it can also be used to make everyday conversations more meaningful.

One of the descriptions I’ve heard people use a lot recently is “surface level.” People may be describing shallow conversations, talking about Facebook friends versus real relationships, or describing band-aid solutions to a problem. Perhaps some of that sounds familiar to you? 

There seem to be several culprits at the crux of this. (Yes, we are going deeper in talking about what is shallow!) Those common culprits are:

• I don’t have time for that.
• I don’t want to be vulnerable.
• I don’t want to know the real truth.

By developing the skill of inquiry and practicing it regularly, you can go deeper and uncover useful information when talking with your team, your family, or anyone else. 

Slowing Down to Ask 5 Questions

Asking a series of the same questions to drill down to the root of an issue is powerful. It forces depth quickly, yet also leads to real information. 

We use the tool of asking “why” five times to help clients find their core purpose. It is good to tread lightly with that word (it can trigger childhood memories of getting the third degree from a parent). You also want to be upfront with the person about why you are asking the series of questions, which helps keep them from getting defensive. This is not a comfortable exercise for some people, so keep that in mind as you open the conversation.

This exercise actually helped me decide to start my business. Here is how that conversation with my coach went, but with a slightly different question, “So then what?”

Me: What if I start my business and I don’t have any clients?

So then what? I don’t make any money.

So then what? I’ll have to start using savings, but I can do that for a little while.

So then what? I’ll probably have to get another job.

So then what? I’ll start reaching out to my newly expanded network to help me find something.

So then what? I’ll be more connected than ever, with some new skills, and more likely to get a job than I am now. Guess I’ll start the business and see what happens!

Moving Forward with OO Requires Leading with Vulnerability

If you have a leader who isn’t integrating organic outreach into their programming or isn’t collaborating with other leaders, using the 5 Whys approach can help identify the root issue. Then you can offer resources, remove barriers, provide accountability, or use some combination of these to address their challenge. 

Here’s an example: You notice planning for your church’s marriage conference is going smoothly with one exception—there doesn’t seem to be much outside publicity. You have a chat with the leader, starting with, “The planning looks efficient. However, I noticed a lack of external publicity. I’d love to ask some questions to better understand how we might be able to improve outreach. This exercise is called the 5 Whys, which means I’ll ask ‘why’ after each response to help us dig deeper into the question. Is that ok?”

Why has there been little outside publicity? We decided not to devote time to that.

Why? We didn’t know if that was such a good idea. 

Why? We were concerned there would be too high of attendance.

Why? Because we only have 12 speakers for breakouts.

Why? Because that is who volunteered.