Michael Bremer
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Why x3 Walkabout: See Like Customers, Decide Faster
Large headline reading See What Your Customer Sees with a smaller line Ask Why x3, Decide Faster over a softly blurred, warm industrial background, highlighting customer-centered decision-making and visual leadership.

The Why x3 Walkabout: See What Your Customer Sees and Fix What Matters

Jess stood by a quiet machine she had helped design. It should have been running. It sat still. The fix was smart, yet the work stopped once she moved on. That sting changed her. She began to invite people in, ask better questions, and learn at the place where the work lives. Later, a team she supported used this way of working to help keep 200 jobs, because employees owned the ideas and told the story of what they did. Results lasted because they came from the people who do the work, not from a memo. This is what Michael Bremer calls learning to see what had been invisible, and it starts with how you look and listen at the point of use .

Michael Bremer’s Learn to See the Invisible asks you to trade assumptions for actual reality. He invites you to make it safe to find problems and satisfying to see progress. You do not need a big reset. You need small, steady habits that tie people, metrics, and decisions back to purpose, so progress spreads across teams instead of dying inside silos .

Why this simple field test works

When purpose fades, teams chase activity, not impact. Bremer offers a short field test to reconnect your work to the people it serves. It is quick, honest, and it will humble you in a good way:

  • Ask “Why?” three times. Why is this work important? Why is that important to our customer? Why does that matter to the people they serve? You are not hunting for a slogan. You are checking beliefs against reality .
  • Walk the process and watch how your output is used. Go see the touchpoints. Notice where people struggle, wait, or rework. You are there to learn how your choices help or hinder, not to inspect people .
  • Talk to your customer’s customer. The last mile often exposes a first mile miss that no dashboard will show you .
  • Share your metrics. Put your measures in front of customers. Ask how your numbers affect their day and which ones they would choose. This is how better measures and faster choices show up across functions .

You cannot fix silos by pushing harder inside them. You fix them by aligning around purpose, then checking choices together at the point of use .

A one-hour Why x3 walkabout you can run this week

Here is a script you can use. Keep it light. Leave space for silence.

  • Open with purpose

    • We are here to learn how our output is used. We want to make better choices that help you succeed. Can we watch the work for a few minutes?

  • Ask Why x3

    • Why is this deliverable important right now?
    • Why is that important to your customer?
    • Why does that matter to the end user?

  • Observe together

    • Where does this help, and where does it get in the way?
    • What do you have to fix or redo after receiving our output?

  • Talk to the customer’s customer

    • What do you wish showed up that never does?
    • If you could change one thing upstream, what would it be?

  • Share metrics

    • Here are the measures we track. How do these affect your day?
    • Which two would you keep, change, or drop to better reflect value for you?

  • Close with commitment

    • We will take what we learned, adjust how we work, and share back what we change. We will return with what we are measuring and why. Thank you for teaching us .

Build a simple visual recap board

Do not hide your learning in a slide. Put it where the work lives. Keep it fast and clear. Bremer’s guidance for Visual Leadership is specific and practical:

  • Design for decisions. Ask, will this help people doing the work make better choices in time? If not, leave it off .
  • Make it fast. If you update daily, it should take less than 10 minutes. If you update more often, it should take less than 3 minutes each pass. You should be able to spot key issues in 10 seconds or less .
  • Be open and useful. Share the purpose of the board with your team and anyone who stops by. Invite suggestions, then keep it meaningful to the work. Try it for a week or a month, then review and evolve it .
  • Keep it concrete. A simple map, a few measures tied to purpose, and a clear list of obstacles and next steps will beat a dense dashboard. One example in the book shows a quick graphic that reminded people where safety risks had been found, so they walked in ready to notice and act. It took under a minute to update and it worked because it primed the right behavior at the right moment .

If you want a quick check, ask yourself: does the board show purpose, does it show if we are winning or losing right now, and does it show the next right action and owner. If you cannot answer yes in 10 seconds, simplify it .

What shifts, and why it lasts

  • People see the whole, not just a slice. Asking Why x3 ties tasks to outcomes your customer feels. Sharing metrics across groups reveals where your numbers fight theirs, and that is where waste often hides .
  • Decisions get faster, with less friction. When teams see the same purpose and the same facts, they choose the next step without drama. You cannot sit at your desk and assume you know. Go see, find facts, and build agreement at the place where work happens .
  • Energy moves from firefighting to building. Progress becomes visible and satisfying. People matter, and they feel it. As Michael Neill said, “The most important choice you make is what you choose to make important.” Choose purpose, people, and learning in public .

A note on how change really happens

Most leaders do not need a full overhaul. You need a few new habits that you practice until they stick. Expect it to take time. As Bremer writes, learn to see tomorrow what your eyes miss today, then make it safe to point to problems so people can solve them. Do not wait for perfect conditions. Small experiments teach faster than big plans, and they build trust where it counts, with your team and your peers .

Your next hour

  • Pick one process.
  • Take one walk.
  • Ask Why three times.
  • Watch how your output is used.
  • Talk to your customer’s customer.
  • Share two metrics and listen.
  • Put what you learned on a small board people can read in 10 seconds.
  • Return in a week and show what you changed .

Michael Bremer’s Learn to See the Invisible is not about hero moves. It is about seeing together, so the right action gets easier day by day. Change starts with you, then it spreads because the work gets better and people feel respected in the process. When you take that walk, what do you hope to find, and what are you willing to change if you do not find it ?