be a child

We are born, we question, we learn then, for some reason, we stop asking questions and just accept that what we are told is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. So we stop learning and just begin to accept everything.

This tends to happen the older we get and maybe we are at fault for the reluctance of the next generation(s) to ask “Why….?” simply because we have children and we become increasingly frustrated at our children asking “Why….?” over and over and over again!!

So what would happen if we continued to ask “Why….?” when we are in work?

Well you would probably be told:

• to stop asking silly questions

• this is the way we always do this job

• this is the way you need to do this job

The outcome of this to the employee is that they stop trying to learn, to grow and to improve. They could eventually become disengaged with their job and just turn up to work every day, do what they have been told to do and go home. Some employers may think this is a good thing - I mean, you pay your employees to come in and do the work that they are assigned each day.

However - if the employee was more childlike, asking questions to better understand the tasks and the role, then they are going to grow in the role. They may also identify a new way of completing the tasks assigned to them and those new methods could result in a significant cost saving for the business.

So maybe it is better to encourage our employees to be more childlike, especially when starting a new job. Encourage them to challenge the norms that have been laid out in front of them and maybe you will encourage them to make significant positive changes in your business.