Getting to the Root Cause with the Five Whys

When challenges arise in business, or life, it’s tempting to address the symptoms instead of the actual cause. But without uncovering what’s truly driving the problem, the same issue often resurfaces. That’s where the Five Whys Analysis comes in.

This simple yet powerful method helps us dig beneath the surface and get to the root cause of any challenge.

What is the Five Whys Analysis?

The Five Whys is a problem-solving tool that involves asking “Why?” repeatedly, typically five times, until the underlying cause of an issue is revealed. 

The number five isn’t a hard rule; sometimes you’ll get there in three, other times it may take more. The goal is persistence in questioning until you move past symptoms and into causes.

Why Use It?

• Clarity: It cuts through noise to uncover the heart of the issue.

• Simplicity: No complex tools required—just curiosity and honest questioning.

• Prevention: By solving the real problem, you prevent it from recurring.

• Collaboration: Encourages teams to think together and challenge assumptions.

When to Use It

• Persistent operational issues

• Customer complaints or service breakdowns

• Team conflicts or recurring miscommunications

• Any situation where the same problem keeps resurfacing

How to Use It

1. State the problem clearly.
   Example: “The client didn’t receive their report on time.”

2. Ask Why.
   Why didn’t they receive it on time? → Because the analyst delivered it late.

3. Ask Why again.
   Why was the analyst late? → Because they were waiting for data from another team.

4. Keep going.
   Why was that team delayed? → Because they didn’t have clear deadlines.

5. Dig deeper.
   Why weren’t deadlines clear? → Because no standard process was in place.

By the fifth why, you’ve shifted from blaming individuals to identifying a process gap ... something you can actually fix.

Key Tips

• Stay focused on facts, not opinions.

• Avoid turning the exercise into blame. The point is improvement, not fault-finding.

• Be flexible—the root cause may appear before or after the fifth question.

Final Thoughts

The Five Whys is deceptively simple, but its impact is profound. By asking the right questions, you build clarity, improve processes, and create more sustainable results.

Happy Thursday Lovelies,

-srt

P.S. If you’d like support in applying tools like the Five Whys in your business or leadership journey, I’d love to help. Reach out to me at Rea Coaching & Consulting (stacyreathomas@gmail.com).  Together, we can get to the root and build from there.

Starting the New Year Seeking Glimmers

The New Year often arrives with pressure. New goals. New habits. A new version of ourselves we feel we should become by January 2. But this year, what if we started differently? What if instead of striving for a complete overhaul, we began by simply seeking glimmers?

A glimmer is the opposite of a trigger. While triggers activate stress, fear, or overwhelm, glimmers gently signal safety to the nervous system. They are the small, meaningful moments that bring joy, peace, gratitude, or connection. A quiet morning. Laughter that catches you off guard. The way sunlight spills across the floor. A deep breath that reminds you that you are here and you are okay.

Glimmers don’t demand big changes. They invite awareness.

Why Glimmers Matter at the Start of a New Year

January is often framed as a time to fix what’s broken. But many of us aren’t broken...we’re tired. Overstimulated. Carrying more than we realize. Beginning the year by seeking glimmers allows us to start from a place of compassion rather than correction.

When we intentionally notice glimmers, we train our brains to recognize safety and goodness. Neuroscience tells us that what we pay attention to grows stronger. The more we look for glimmers, the more our nervous system learns that calm and joy are available, even in imperfect days.

This doesn’t mean ignoring challenges or pretending life is easy. It means giving equal attention to what is life-giving.

Glimmers Are Small and That’s the Point

Glimmers are not grand moments. They don’t require perfect circumstances or a vacation or a major achievement. In fact, they often show up in the most ordinary places:

• The first sip of coffee in the morning

• A text from someone who thought of you

• Music that matches your mood

• A moment of silence between tasks

• The feeling of your feet on the ground

These moments are easy to miss when we’re rushing toward the next thing. Seeking glimmers asks us to slow down just enough to notice what’s already here.

A Gentler Intention for the Year Ahead

Instead of resolutions rooted in pressure, consider this intention: I will practice noticing what nourishes me.

This might look like:

• Pausing at the end of the day to name one glimmer

• Keeping a simple glimmer journal or note on your phone

• Sharing glimmers with a friend or family member

• Taking a breath when you notice a moment of calm

Over time, these small practices can reshape how you experience your days. Not by changing everything, but by changing what you see.

Let This Be a Year of Presence

As you step into the New Year, you don’t have to have all the answers. You don’t need a perfect plan. You only need willingness—to notice the quiet moments that remind you of who you are and what matters.

May this be the year you stop rushing past your life.
May this be the year you honor small joys.
May this be the year you seek glimmers and let them guide you home to yourself.

Goodbye 2025.  Welcome 2026!

-srt

More than Tamales

I didn’t say it as a plan.
I said it almost like a confession.

“My husband wants me to make tamales,” I admitted, laughing a little. “And I don’t know how to make tamales. Would you teach me?”

Without hesitation, my friend looked at me and said, “Absolutely.”

Just like that.
    No questions.
        No hesitation.
            No figure it out.
                Just generosity.

Then, as if that weren’t enough, she pulled another one of our friends into the fold. 

And that friend, equally generous, said, “You can use my house to make them.”

Then another friend was invited because, “You need an assembly line.”

And suddenly, what felt like an impossible task turned into a gathering.

Together, the four of us made one hundred and twenty tamales. Pork. Chicken. Plant based chorizo. Potato. Cheese. Our hands moved in rhythm, spreading masa, filling, folding, tying, while laughter and conversation filled the room. We talked about life. About love. About struggles and dreams. About the past and who we are still becoming.

At some point, in the middle of all that work, I looked around and thought about how beautiful this friendship is.

And it was true.

Not the kind of beauty you see at first glance, but the kind that comes from within. The kind that shows up when someone hears your worry and turns it into shared effort. The kind that opens their home, their time, and their heart without expecting anything in return.

We didn’t just make tamales that day.
We made memories.
We made space for connection.
We made love tangible.

I am so deeply blessed to have friends like this, friends whose beauty is found in their kindness, their generosity, and their willingness to walk alongside me. Friends who remind me that I never have to do life alone.

And every time my husband enjoys a tamale, I will remember that what made them truly special wasn’t just what was inside the masa, which was a lot of lard, but the love that wrapped around every single one.

Merry Christmas friends,

-srt