Don’t Ask How That Was Done

I don’t remember the name of the movie, but it has had a lasting effect on my life. In the movie, two characters are watching a magic trick. At the end of the trick one of the characters says to the other, “I wonder how they did that.” I’m pretty sure we’ve all asked the same question at one time or another. That’s when the other character said, “Don’t ask how they did it. Ask yourself how you would do it.”

It is a different perspective, but it changes the viewpoint and, in my opinion, makes answering the original question much easier. It’s a small change, but a powerful one. Unfortunately, it ruined the attraction of magic for me.

The real value to me is at work. When we have a bad panel or laminate and we’re at an MRB (Material Review Board) reviewing a bad piece of material, I’ll ask the young engineers or supervisors, “How would you do that?” as opposed to “How did they do that?” I find that answering, how a person would create that scrap, yields a much better answer as to how the scrap was created. It also teaches the person a new way to look at problem solving.

Try it. The next time you’re problem solving ask, “How would I do that?” and see if you get better results solving problems.