Why? A Reasoned Question to approach How.

This is one of a couple of transformative quotes.

Why begets our mind to think and become creative. It may inspire dreams; it may numb us to paralysis. Why is the genesis for launching an approach of HOW. At times all that matters is what is the fastest and simplest thing I can do, with the highest probability of success? Why is energy to move our flywheel to better.

At the start of the Pandemic in 2020, we went home and gained back some time from commutes and reconnected with our family. We found a place of contentment, peace and happiness. While nervous, scared, or anxious about what lie ahead, we were drawn back to the people in our life; spouse, kids, parents at home; friends, neighbors, colleagues via Zoom, and we had time to think.

What came about from those three months or so was some awareness of WHY we were engaged in the activities we had been. Why does it matter? (The second half of the year, and some of ‘21, became a distraction from the election.)

Today we are looking more closely to our leaders, managers, and the values our organizations say they hold, and questioning why we do what we do? How do we live those values and deliver something amazing and worthwhile to our stakeholders? With more time to think and clearly see the reality, people are beginning to hold others accountable.

Seeing their people unhappy, discontented, disengaging, leaders assumed it meant they needed to get people back in the office to “rebuild culture,” not understanding that culture is not in a place, but a mindset. It is the personality of the organization and that happens with people, not where people are.

Many managers and teams are failing in their actions because they lost looking at the bigger picture. They lost their why and purpose of work. They lost being authentic to the values they claim to hold.

Business leaders and HR departments are throwing essential subjects and training against the computer monitors, like spaghetti against the wall, in the hopes to engage their people once again. They are #kludging things together but it does not align with the WHY they exist. How is that working for you??

Framing what comes next in a holistic way will rally people around the purpose of what you do. If you understand where and why you want to get someplace, the how can fall into place more simply.  Especially when you ask others sharing your vision.

We are on the edge of a something amazing, come back tomorrow for more for episode 2.