# Do You Wanna Know Why?

Source: https://dairycoach.com/do-you-wanna-know-why/
Published: 2011-10-11
Author: Tom Wall

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I have to admit that being an uncle to some really great kids is a blast. There’s something really fun about playing with kids who have endless energy and imaginations that race a hundred miles an hour.

Then there’s the never-ending game of “Why?”  I’m sure you know the game.  Anything you say prompts an automatic response of “Why?”  And since I hate losing as much as I love to win, I don’t want to get outplayed by a 4 year-old and surrender with the answer “Because!”

So what do I do? I start by replying with simple explanations with the intention of informing the little guy.  But then, when he eventually starts wearing me down with rapid-fire ‘Whys?’, I start making things up.  You should see the puzzled reactions I get.  It’s clear that even a 4-year old knows when he’s getting bullshitted by his uncle.  And that’s how the game eventually ends.  We laugh because “uncle is silly” and his “answers don’t make sense”.

But you know what?  For the most part, I remain patient and I don’t squash my nephew’s curiosity with the game-ending, “Because” reply that he will eventually be taught in the cruel ‘grown-up world’.  I’m sure that when I see him next weekend, he’ll be ready for another round and so will I.

And that’s a lot like what we need to do when it comes to training and teaching employees how to do their work properly.

The secret to effective training is explaining beyond just the ‘what’ that needs to be done.  We also need to explain ‘how’ and most importantly ‘why’.  Sure the ‘what’ and the ‘how’ are critically important… that’s at the heart of the job and the process.

But you see, the ‘why’ addresses people’s motivation, satisfies their curiosity, and hopefully influences their decision to do it correctly instead of finding another way.  Teaching the reason ‘why’ behind the ‘what’ and ‘how’ connects the way the correct procedure affects everyone and everything involved.

Hopefully the people that you’ve hired actually care enough about the cause and effect of their decisions and actions, and chooses to follow the what, how, and why of the work that’s being taught.

Yes, I wish we could simply just tell someone to do it “because we said so.”  But if they don’t understand ‘why’, chances are many people will just do whatever is easiest as soon as no one is looking.  And you know what?  Every now and then, that will probably happen anyway, even after explaining ‘why’.  Sometimes we humans are just doubters and we need to test these theories for ourselves.  And it’s not until after we disregard the instructions and reasoning behind them that we opt to do it our way and wind up learning ‘why’ the hard way.

Now don’t get me wrong.  At some point, you might simply have to say, “This is what it is… end of discussion.”  As you probably already know, sometimes we get nowhere with a few employees even after we start out with a well-intentioned lesson as to why we need to follow certain protocols.  In these cases, a hard-line approach is often the only option you have left.

From little on, we all want to know the reason “Why?”  And when it comes to answering that question as it relates to the work and the people on your dairy’s team, making sure everyone understands the reason behind the ‘what’ and the ‘how’ helps ensure that jobs get done correctly, even when you’re not looking!