People often hesitate before asking questions, particularly when they believe everyone else already understands the subject. In a workplace meeting, that assumption can be surprisingly easy to make. A presentation may be detailed, a recommendation may sound confident and the discussion may appear to be moving towards agreement. Yet confidence in the room does not necessarily mean that every person has followed the reasoning behind the decision. Someone may still be thinking about a basic point and deciding whether it is worth raising. Asking can sometimes do more than provide an answer. It can show that the question was shared by others as well.
Her “why rule” is based on the idea that uncertainty is rarely as individual as it first appears. Asking “why?” can close that gap. A leader might be told that an investment should increase, that a project needs to change direction or that a particular target should be reached. That is where a question such as “why?” can be useful. Asking “why” does not mean challenging every decision. When one person in a room is wondering why, there may be several others who have the same question but have not yet said it aloud.
“If you’re wondering ‘why,’ there’s someone else in the room who is as well. The observation comes from Julie Sweet’s approach to asking questions in leadership discussions. The quote is essentially about making unanswered questions visible. In a senior meeting, a proposal can arrive with a great deal of preparation behind it. The people presenting it may have spent days or weeks examining figures, risks and possible outcomes. For everyone else, however, the explanation may be much shorter. They hear the conclusion without necessarily seeing all the steps that led there. It does not necessarily mean that the decision is wrong. It may simply mean that the reasoning has not yet been made clear to everyone who needs to understand it. Sweet’s observation also removes some of the embarrassment attached to asking basic questions. If one person is wondering why a decision has been made, there is a fair chance that others are trying to understand it too. There is a difference between questioning a decision and asking someone to explain it. The recommendation might be sensible. But if the reasoning is not explained, people are left with an answer rather than an understanding of the problem. A question can bring an assumption into the open. It can reveal that two people have understood the same proposal differently. It can also uncover information that the person presenting the idea thought was obvious. Sometimes the most useful contribution to a meeting is not a new proposal. It is a request for the existing proposal to be explained properly. Sweet’s approach offers several practical lessons about working with other people. Ask when the reasoning is unclear. A conclusion without enough explanation can leave people making their own assumptions. Asking why gives the person presenting the idea an opportunity to fill the gap. Do not assume everyone understands. Silence in a meeting does not necessarily mean agreement or comprehension. Some people may simply be reluctant to admit that they are unsure. Stay curious when you become more senior. Leadership does not remove the need to learn. In large organisations, senior executives routinely encounter subjects outside their own professional background. Use questions to improve understanding, not to dominate. The same question can have different effects depending on how it is asked. Genuine curiosity tends to open a discussion, while questioning purely to challenge someone can shut it down. Give other people permission to ask. When a senior person admits that something needs explaining, it can make the room less intimidating for everyone else. Workplaces have become increasingly specialised. A single meeting can bring together people working in finance, technology, legal affairs, operations, marketing and human resources. Each group may approach the same issue from a different perspective. Artificial intelligence provides a good example. Senior decision-makers may have to discuss AI systems, data, automation or new technology without having spent their careers working directly with those subjects. They still have to understand what a proposed investment means and why it is being recommended. It allows expertise to be translated rather than simply presented. The specialist gets a chance to explain the reasoning, while other people in the room can test whether they have understood it. For a company operating across many markets and disciplines, that exchange becomes part of decision-making rather than an interruption to it. The principle can be used in ordinary situations as easily as in executive meetings. Ask for the reasoning when an instruction is unclear. Do not assume silence means everyone agrees. If something seems obvious to you, remember that it may not be obvious to someone else. Ask questions before filling gaps with assumptions. Treat unfamiliar subjects as opportunities to learn. Listen to the explanation instead of preparing the next challenge. If you are leading a discussion, make it acceptable for people to say they do not understand. Remember that a simple question can sometimes clarify an issue for an entire group. The useful part of the habit is its simplicity. There is no complicated technique behind it. It starts with noticing that something has not been properly explained. It is easy to interpret persistent questioning as scepticism, particularly when the person asking holds a senior position. But Sweet’s observation is more about shared understanding than opposition. A good question does not have to suggest that an idea is bad. It can simply ask what led to it. There is also no reason why only senior executives should use the approach. An employee who notices something that others have overlooked may be the person most capable of improving the discussion. The important part is what happens after the question. If the answer makes the decision clearer, the question has served its purpose. That is the practical meaning behind Sweet’s remark. Get the latest technology news and updates. Download the TOI App.