Stop Asking 'Why' at Work

As a leadership consultant who helps organizations understand how to apply artistic thinking, one of the lessons I have learned is one of the basic differences between the artistic practice and the business practice—in the former, questioning is the way of life, in the latter answers are the way to go. Artists ask "why" constantly. Why does this exist? Why are things the way they are? Why are we doing it this way? That relentless questioning is how they push past convention—and, for some, it is the engine of genuine creative thinking.

Bring that same type of question into most organizations, and something breaks. "Why are we doing it this way?" stops sounding like curiosity. It starts sounding like accusation.

WHEN CURIOSITY SOUNDS LIKE ACCUSATION

The rookie mistake is thinking that asking "why" is about curiosity. In corporate life, it often lands as judgment - especially when it comes from a supporting role.

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