UrbanSpeaker

Ask Yourself 5 Whys And It Will Solve All Your Problems

November 22nd, 2008. Published under UrbanSpeaker. 1 Comment.

All your problems can be solved by simply asking 5 whys. One of the most successful car companies in the world makes it a habit, and you should too.

If you have a problem, often people try to just solve the issue at hand, rather then digging down and finding the source of the problem. Even when the source is found, often there is a source to that problem deeper still. That is why you must ask “Why?” five times.

For example, say there is a problem, like the fact that you are sick. By asking “Why?” five times, you will get to the root of the problem and also find the solution.

Problem: There was a car accident on the highway.
Why? (1): Because the car’s tire came off while driving.
Why? (2): Because the lug nuts to hold on the tire were too short.
Why? (3): Because there are aftermarket rims on the car, not designed for it.
Why? (4): Because they were recommended by a sales person at ABC Car Company.
Why? (5): Because he needed to make the sale.

From this, we can easily see that the root of the problem was the company putting pressure on the salesman to make the sale. While this maybe isn’t the most powerful example out there, Toyota, who designed the 5 whys, uses it constantly to get down to the core of the problem and find a solution.

Try it with something in your life, like why you were late for work or why you failed a test. Oh, and if you feel that you can go deeper, ask more whys. Or if you only asked why twice and got to the root, then that’s fine too.

Photo by: Adam B.