Ben Williams
Your Six-Year-Old Asking Why
Inspired by Ben Williams episode
Ben Williams hires for relentless curiosity - asking 'why' seven layers deep. Your kid already does this. It's not defiance, it's root cause analysis.
Ben Williams looks for one trait in growth hires: relentless curiosity. The willingness to ask 'why' seven layers deep.
Your four-year-old: "Why do I have to go to bed?" Because you're tired. "Why am I tired?" Because you ran around screaming for three hours. "Why was I screaming?" Because you were a dinosaur. "Why was I a dinosaur?" Because you decided the floor was lava and dinosaurs can't get burned. "Why can't dinosaurs get burned?" BECAUSE THEY'RE ALREADY EXTINCT GO TO BED.
At work, you'd call this exceptional root cause analysis. You'd promote someone who refuses to accept surface-level answers. At home at 8:47pm? You're ready to fake your own death to escape the interrogation.
But your kid is doing exactly what you do in sprint retros. They're drilling down. They're not being difficult. They're being a senior PM while wearing pajamas backwards.
The skill you're shutting down is the skill you'll put on their LinkedIn in 25 years.
