Some of you may have heard of the 5 whys or the 7 whys. The number of whys is not really that important. You'll learn to use as many as you need.
What is it?
The 5 whys is a tool for uncovering the root of a problem. It was originally developed and used within the Toyota Motor Corporation during the development of the manufacturing methods that they are so well known for. In the corporate world, you may have also seen it applied within a number of systems such as Lean and Six Sigma.
The process basically takes a problem and then asks 'why' a number of times until you get to the root of the problem.
The 5 whys in business
In a business environment, you might have an issue with products being routinely delivered late. One might suspect that there is something going on that is slowing down production, or maybe those shipping folks are slacking off. The 5 whys technique helps to get to the root of the problem.
So, you start with 'Why was the product late?'
The courier didn’t pick it up on time.
Why?
The courier was notified too late in the day.
Why?
Shipping received the product late in the day.
Why?
The production team delivers the completed product following the afternoon shift change.
Why?
Well, that’s just the way it’s always been done!
Aha! So, no one is slacking off, production isn’t too slow. There is just product hanging around when it could be getting shipped. Delivering product to the loading docks earlier in the day, allows shipping to get the product out in time for the courier to pick it up.
The 5 whys in behaviour change
So, what does this have to do with your health? Well, it turns this peeling the layers of the problem onion to determine the root cause is also helpful in peeling the layers of our motivation to identify our underlying personal motivations.
As I wrote about in last week’s post, once the powerful ‘Away’ motivations that got us started on a journey to improve our health begin to fade, we need powerful ‘Toward’ motivations to sustain us. (All this being said of course with the caveat that change is NOT all about motivation. It’s just one small tool we can leverage.)
The 5 whys in action
Let's say your ‘Toward’ motivation is maintaining blood sugar within normal ranges after a diagnosis of Type II diabetes. That may not be enough to keep you going when you’re parked in front of Netflix AGAIN, resenting the pandemic and all that it has upended in your life while the Oreos call to you from the kitchen pantry.
However, what may keep you going is the underlying motivation behind that desire for stable blood sugar. This is where we apply the 5 whys.
Why do you want to make a change to your health?
I want to get my blood sugar in a normal range.
Why?
So, I can be healthier.
Why is it important?
Because I don’t want the health conditions that come from uncontrolled blood sugars.
Why?
Because my quality of life will be reduced.
Why is this important to you?
Because I want to have an active, full life with my family.
There’s your motivation! You want to have an active full life with your family. Maybe you foresee grandchildren on the horizon, and you want to keep up with those whippersnappers! When you’re sitting on the couch watching Netflix and you hear the call of the Oreos, what is more motivating? The image of your glucose monitor showing your blood sugar in a normal range or the image of you, healthy and energetic, playing with your grandchildren well into your senior years?
If you want some help finding your underlying motivation for your health goals and making the necessary changes to reach them, consider a health coach to support you along the way. Book a free 30-minute call to find out if health coaching might be right for you.
