As a general rule, do you question things? More precisely, do you ask many questions of yourself? It could be an effective technique as you continue on your path of personal growth. It could also be an effective tool for improving your business.

Taiichi Ohno, considered to be the father of Toyota’s Production System, encouraged everyone in the company to always ask WHY about everything they did – especially when problems showed up. He believed that “having no problems is the biggest problem of all.” His famous statement was, “Ask ‘Why’ five times,” to get at the root cause of the problem.

I can’t honestly say that this way of thinking has its roots in the Toyota Corporation, but it is definitely a part of their vision and corporate culture. To see how this works, check out the example provided on the Toyota site.

The power in this is that by constantly asking questions (‘why’ or otherwise), you thwart complacency. By employing a Japanese philosophy called kaizen, you can focus on continuous improvement. (Translation: “kai” means school, and “zen” means wisdom.) This kaizen approach is opposite the Western philosophy of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” 

In the Japanese corporate culture, kaizen is embodied by including every single employee to constantly look for ways to improve their work situation. It is said that in companies like Toyota and Canon, for example, over 60 suggestions per employee are implemented each year (that's right . . . per employee!)

These aren’t necessarily huge changes. The principle behind kaizen is to make slow, subtle changes – to be in a constant state of improvement. The results of such an approach include an improvement in productivity and safety, and a reduction in errors or waste. The net effect is stronger employee relations and higher profits.

So . . . that brings a question to mind: I wonder what our Western work environment would be like if we were to adapt this philosophy - even slightly? How might the employee morale change?  How might our profitability increase by “asking ‘why’ five times?”

Which frame of mind are you in? Are you resigned to remain in the current state in which you find yourself? Or do you constantly look for subtle ways to change, to improve, to make things better in your life and in your business?

If you are ready to experience new results in your life in 2009, then you must be willing to change something in your current circumstances. Asking yourself “Why” five times may just lead you to clarity. For example:

Why do I feel stuck in this present situation?
Because I don’t have another job to go to.

Why don’t I have a good job?
Because I can’t find anything else.

Why can’t I find anything else?
Because I haven’t looked.

Why haven’t I looked?
Because I don’t really know what I want to do.

Why don’t I know what I want?
Because I haven't made the time to explore what I want.

A-HA!

Or how about this possibility?

Why did our customer service ratings drop?
Because we quit doing the things we knew to be effective

Why did we quit doing those things?
Because we lost our focus.

Why did we lose our focus?
Because we allowed all the negative news to influence our behavior.

Why did we allow this to influence our behavior?
Because we had no leadership to keep us focused.

Why wasn’t the leadership there?
Because I, as the leader, allowed fear to paralyze me.

A-HA!  Now you’re getting somewhere! 

Getting to the root of things allows you to move forward!

Have a Golden Day! (And keep those questions coming!)
Darlene Dean
Coach For Results
Darlene Dean is a Certified Life and Business Coach. Through coaching, her clients experience clearer focus, less stress, and get the results they want.