Everyday Series | Season 1 | Wisdom Words Wednesdays | 003 | My Six Best Friends

In this episode, we talk about using my six best friends for better wisdom.

"I keep six honest serving-men (They taught me all I knew); Their names are What and Why and When and How and Where and Who." - Rudyard Kipling

Regardless of which industry you are involved in or which area of life you consider, the quality of your life is determined by the quality of questions that you ask. Questions change our focus, they change the resources available to us and help us find better quality answers. Judge a man by his questions rather than his answers said Voltaire in his wisdom because questions are the answer. There are many questions we can ask but my best friends are six categories of questions: why, what, who, when, where, and how. By being able to answer these six categories of questions you can understand the background, context and get to the root cause of many problems.

Why: the question why is probably the most important and vital question one can ask. Why identifies the purpose, cause, and belief rooted in the people, process, or event the question is being applied to. The question 'why' is linked to the limbic brain that controls behavior and not language. And communicating the why allows for a better reception than starting with other questions. The best consultants, entrepreneurs, and speakers begin by asking 'why we do what we do then using the answer to inform other questions. Some examples of why questions are:

• Why did the event happen?
• Why do we do what we do?
• Why should we care?

How: the how question refers to the methodologies and practices that are employed. By asking the right how questions you can uncover the ways things are done and gain insight into how things can be different. Examples of how questions are:

• How are things done?
• How should things be done?
• How can things be done differently?

What: the what question is focus on the key activities and processes-this looks into a good level of detail about what is in question. By asking the right 'what' questions you will uncover ways to improve or change the actions and processes in question. Examples are:

• What is the root cause?
• What are the main activities to focus on?
• What can be improved or done differently?

Who: the who question is a very important one to understand and get right. The answer to this question will help you determine key stakeholders and to understand your customer (those you provide a service to and those who have a vested interest in you.) By understanding critical people, demographics and values you better understand them and how to interact with them. Some examples of who questions are:

• Who is involved?
• Who should and can be involved?
• Who is the most important person?

When: the when question refers to identifying time-based events. Timing is very important and can be the difference between success and failure. Had Napoleon got to the Waterloo battlefield a few hours earlier, he would probably have won; the difference between gold and silver at the Olympics comes down to milliseconds. Understanding the right time and the urgency to do things is often critical. Some examples of when questions are:

• When did an important event occur?
• When can and should something be done?
• When is the event normally done?
• What other time can or should something be done?

Where: the where question refers to the location and place. In business and entrepreneurship, the key defining factor can be location, location, and location. Understanding and looking in the right place is a defining factor for success. Some examples of where questions are:

• Where did the event happen?
• Where should I be looking?
• Where can and should it be done?

 These are my six best friends and they have helped me to learn all I know and will continue to help expand my knowledge. For all businesses and consultants, questions are the answer - the quality of their operations will be based on the quality of questions they ask. The six questions of why, how, what, who, when, and where will assist them in developing great insight.

"Sometimes questions are more important than answers" - Nancy Williams