The following is an excerpt from The Big Moo, written by one of The Group of 33.  It is one of 5 excerpts from The Big Moo published by Know More Media during this week.

Why Ask Why?

The  woman  sitting  next  to  me  on  an  airplane  had  thin, sharpened spikes, two of them, eight inches long. They’re called knitting  needles,  and  they’re  allowed  on  the  plane.  The guy on the other side of the aisle was bemoaning the fact that they took away his nail clippers.

The little kid in row 8 had to walk thirty-five rows to the back of the plane to use the bathroom because it’s a grave breach of security for him to use the empty bathroom just seven rows in front.

They x-ray sneakers at LaGuardia.

My hotel sent me down the street to a health club because the hotel’s workout room was under construction. The health club wouldn’t let me use the facilities until I filled out a form with my name  and  full  address  and  contact  information.  Why?  “Insurance regulations.” Apparently, this is the same reason you can’t watch the mechanic repair your car or visit the kitchen of the local restaurant.

My doctor’s office doesn’t have a fax machine.

The  stellar Maison du Chocolat café in New York  doesn’t serve herbal tea.

The  government  of  New  York  State  makes  it  illegal  to  buy wine on the Internet.
Why?  I  have  no  clue.  Neither  do  the  people  implementing these policies. Go ahead, ask them. They’ll tell you how maddening it is to be asked over and over again and have no answer.

If your front-line people are unable to answer a “why” question, what do you tell them to do? Standard operating procedure is to bluff, stall, or ignore the question.

Most bureaucracies don’t want the whys working their way up the chain. Most bureaucracies encourage people in the field to be  the  first  and  only  line  of  defense.  “That’s  our  policy.”  “I’m sorry, but there’s nothing I can do about that.” “Insurance regulations, sir.” The goal is to get the customer (questioner) to go away.

To go away.

They want you to go away.

Does  that  make  any  sense  at  all?  The  single  most  efficient (and inexpensive) technique for improving your operations is answering the “why” questions! You should embrace these people, not send them away.

“You know, sir, I have no idea why you have to do that. But I can tell you that I’ll find out before the end of the day.”

The moment you start treating your people like people (as opposed to cogs), they’re likely to start acting like people. And when that happens, things will begin to improve.

If you liked this selection, buy the book.  Read the book.  Help charity. Be more successful in business.