02/06/2025
A funny but powerful lesson from a 3-year-old and Toyota.
If you've ever met a child, you already know this life-changing business strategy.
You tell them:
"Go wear your shoes."
They ask:âWhy?â
You answer.
Then they ask again:"Why?"
Then again... and again... until you consider early retirement đ
But guess what?
Toyota, yes, the global car company, uses this exact method to solve multi-million-dollar problems.
It's called the 5 Whys Technique.
And today, I'll show you how to use it in your business,
your team, or even your life in Nigeria.
It's a simple method:
When a problem happens, you ask "Why?" five times to find the real root cause, not just the surface issue.
Because most problems are like onions:
They have layers.
And if you don't peel them, they'll make you cry later đ§
Why Use It?
It helps you fix the real issue, not the symptoms
It encourages critical thinking
It's free, fast, and works in ANY industry
It makes you sound smart in meetings.
Let me give you an Example in FMCG:
Sales dropped 20% last month.
Let's 5-Why it:
Why did sales drop?
-
âDistributors didn't order enough stock.
Why didn't they order?
â They had unsold inventory from last month.
Why was inventory unsold?
âRetailers weren't buying.
Why weren't retailers buying?
â The product expired before it sold out.
Why did it expire?
â Too much stock was pushed without checking actual demand.
Root cause: Over-pushing stock without real demand data.
Solution: Train reps to forecast based on local demand,not just targets.
I will give you another example in Real Estate:
Problem:Construction project delayed by 6 weeks.
Why was it delayed?
âWorkers were absent.
Why were they absent?
âPayment was late.
Why was payment late?
âClient didn't release funds.
Why didn't the client release funds?
â They were not informed about a cost overrun.
Why was there a cost overrun?
â Contractor didn't update the budget after cement price increased.
Root cause: Poor communication + lack of budget tracking.
Solution: Weekly project updates and real-time budget reviews.
The next time your sales are down, your team is slow, or your budget disappears like suya on Friday night...
Don't just ask âwhat happened?", Ask "WHYâ, FIVE TIMES.
Your business will thank you.
Try it now, and let me know your comments, and tag someone who needs this in their office group chat.
If you benefited from this post, share it, you might save someone's salary and their sanity.