A Quality of Thought:
When “Start With Why” Gets in the Way

“Start with Why”, as given to us by Simon Sinek in his book and TDEx talk, is a great philosophy and foundation on which to build an idea, a product or a business. And a great place for leaders to communicate from, when inspiring commitment and action.

But “Start with Why” is not so great when your personal development is stuck. Because asking why is more of the same kind of stuck thinking that is now keeping you stuck.

The antidote to trying (and failing) to think our way out of the problem is to ACT our way out.

When I notice my clients stuck on wanting to understand “why” they’re stuck, I challenge them to park that thought. Because in this state, we’re not going to answer why.

Instead, I ask them to experiment with action. To prioritise finding an action-based or behaviour-based solution over and above understanding the root cause.

(And when they’re unstuck, then to come back to the question of why – for clarity on the underlying drivers and a route towards a sustainable fix.)

Over the coming days, notice if you’re doing any stuckness out of a need to understand why. And park it in favour of an action-based approach.