Episode: 581

Episode Title: Always Answering Why

Young people are always asking why—and answering that question can benefit those of us in older generations as well. Here’s why, next on The Perna Syndicate.

Ep 581 show:

Welcome to a new week on The Perna Syndicate! I’m your host, Mark Perna, and I’m excited to launch into a discussion this week about how we can effectively answer that all important question – when young people ask why. 

Because they will. In fact, they ask why so often, about so many things we tell them to do, that I call them the Why (W-H-Y) Generation. Even though this can feel rude or insubordinate to those of us in older generations, most of the time it’s not intended that way. They ask why because they want to see the big picture—and contribute to a better outcome. 

That’s why we have to have a good answer when they ask. As parents, educators, and employers, we need to invite them into the vision of what we are doing—not shut them down with an abrupt “Because I said so” answer.

“Answer why” is the third component of my connect, engage, and answer why strategy, and it’s last in the string because it never ends. We will always be answering why for the young people we interact with—and that’s not a bad thing. 

In fact, I’d suggest that it doesn’t hurt to answer why first for ourselves more often. When we examine our reasons and rationale more closely, maybe we’ll find some loose ends or things we could be doing better. We could be doing the right things for the wrong reasons—who knows. 

All I know is, our Gen Z children, students, and coworkers are going to keep asking why. And we’ve got to have an honest and compelling answer. 

This week, we’re going to dive into what it means to answer why in ways that will resonate with the younger generations. Tune in and we’ll see you tomorrow on the next episode of The Perna Syndicate!