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A MOM & MORE One simple question: Why? It’s one of the five Ws we deal with on a daily basis as journalists. Why? I was invited to the “Lead with Why” event presented by Dr. Gary Sanchez and hosted by the Rio Rancho Regional Chamber of Commerce. I wasn’t sure what my expectations were going in, but I had hopes that it would help me build skills and confidence as a leader and a member of the business community. This wasn’t the first time, however, that I’ve been asked to ponder my “Why.” Several years ago, when I began to focus on my personal fitness and nutrition, that was one of the discussions in a video series I watched on my fitness app. The leader asked not only the class in the video but also those watching to think about and identify their “why.” This one was fairly easy for me. I wanted to lose weight. I wanted to be healthy for my family. I wanted to gain confidence. I wanted to feel strong and capable. OK, maybe there’s a couple of underlying themes with business, but I had never thought to think about my “why” in my professional life. Until last week. Jerry Schalow, president and CEO of the chamber, said he wanted to bring Sanchez’s program to New Mexico in an effort to help the business community expand and grow, saying the program — which he and his staff have gone through — helps leaders “understand how to be successful because it will allow you to maximize your strengths.” “We need to change our thought process, and knowing who you are is the first step,” he said.“We cannot be last in anything anymore.” Sanchez, a native New Mexican and who was a practicing dentist and the founder of the Why Institute, developed the program in an effort to help others, saying that finding your why — or, more specifically, what he calls your why.os — helps what you do have more impact. “When you talk about what you do, you blend in with everyone who does what you do. When you focus on why, you stand out from everyone else,” he said. During that seminar, the program showed my “why” is to make sense, which makes sense. I don’t know how many times I’ve uttered the phrase, “Make it make sense” — either to myself or others, depending on the situation. My “how" is to simplify. This made me think of a Dwight Schrute line from “The Office:” “K.I.S.S.: Keep it simple, stupid.” He was referring to advice his boss, Michael Scott, though often incompetent, gave him. But this time, Michael made sense. There we are again. And, as it turns out, my what is “trust.” That has always been a value to me, so it makes sense that it was one of my top three. I’m curious to see how knowing this will help me in my future as an editor and manager. It’s an interesting thought to follow, and hopefully I can find time to keep exploring it. But, at some point during the seminar, it did hit me how it fits my role as a journalist, and as a result, our product: We at the Observer work to make sense of what’s going on in our community, simplify it for our readers and, hopefully, gain their trust so they keep coming to us for information.