Ask “Why?”

Technology is never the solution but a means to achieving a goal. Before embarking on any task, ask yourself, “Why do I need to do this?” Before even crafting a strategy, ask “why?” The answer could be to provide personalized learning paths for students, or to identify trends in student performance, retention, and engagement. It could also be because competition is getting tough, and you need to stand out from the crowd.

Commence Nkomo

Commence Nkomo
Chief Data & Analytics Architect

Bridging the Gap: The Overlooked Power
of Asking 'Why' in Leadership

Heading for this info: Focus and discussions are usually on the cool new technology. After all,
talking about the cool new tool is more exciting than talking about the problem itself,
and so the “why” part gets omitted. The first step in change management is to
bring every stakeholder on board with the need for the change… and many
projects fail at the first hurdle!

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Beyond the Hype: Why Successful Change Starts with Purpose, Not Technology

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Focus and discussions are usually on the cool new technology. After all, talking about the cool new tool is more exciting than talking about the problem itself, and so the “why” part gets omitted. The first step in change management is to bring every stakeholder on board with the need for the change… and many projects fail at the first hurdle!

In Stephen Covey’s book, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, habit # 2 states that we must “begin with the end in mind.” We can apply this to all projects. Let’s use data analytics as an example. Data, in and of itself, can be more confusing than helpful if we do not process it in a way that yields answers to specific questions. Before a dashboard can be created and we can’t figure out what the person will do with it, why are we creating it? Begin with the end in mind – reflect on the “why” you're starting this project. Stay Digi-Data connected!