Simon Sinek is an inspirational speaker on business and leadership. He made a name for himself with a concept, and later a book, entitled “Start With Why.” If you haven’t read any of his work or listened to him speak, I’ll give him a plug here. He talks about this idea that we are usually good at talking about the “what” and the “how” of things, but rarely get to the crux of discussing and understanding the “why” of things.

Simon calls this powerful idea “The Golden Circle,” and it provides a framework “upon which organizations can be built, movements can be led, and people can be inspired.”

Contemplating his premise in a political environment reminds me of several interactions I had over time with a friend of mine. We used to work together, and in our office, there was usually a news feed playing in the lobby.

Occasionally we’d find ourselves watching the news of the day and having a discussion. I’m conservative both economically and socially. He leaned more liberal socially.

This friend was openly gay and often the news would take up the topic of gay marriage. It was during the time of the wedding cake controversy in Colorado, and it was very much a hot-button topic for many in America.

As you can imagine, this could have been a huge divisive issue for us. Instead, we talked about what our concerns were. We set aside good and bad and asked the question, “Why does this matter to you?”

I found that he was concerned about having equal protection under the law. He wanted to have basic benefits that are available to most employees’ families available to his. He wanted to be able to name legal beneficiaries.

And you know what? I get that. I’d want those things, too. And most importantly, it was an aspect of the issue that I had not fully considered. I was grateful he was able to articulate his reasons without getting angry. He made a good point and, more importantly, he made me think.

He found out that I was worried my church would be forced to perform ceremonies they were morally opposed to. He understood that. He respected that, and that made me more willing to listen to what he had to say.

Over many conversations, it became clear to me that there was a solution there that most people could, in good conscience, agree to. My guess is most of us are fine with a mechanism to protect rights and give our neighbors the freedom to have equal protection under the law.

That’s something that aligns with our constitutional foundation. If it goes both ways, and someone else’s rights don’t infringe on mine, then I could support that type of political compromise, because that’s how it’s supposed to work. Unfortunately, that is not always the case, and we get mired in whose rights are more important.

This question of “Why does this matter to you?” is one of the most important ones we can ask when talking about political issues. It gets to the root of the issue and allows for discussion around things that can be agreed upon or discarded.

A good, elected official should do the majority of their work in this realm, where all sides are looked at and unintended consequences are discovered and debated. It is only when this rigorous process takes place that we get good laws that benefit everyone. So, we too should apply this standard when debating political issues, whether we are a candidate or a voter. If it’s unclear what our candidate means when they say something, we should start asking questions beginning with “Why do you say that?” or “Why do you support that?”

This “why” question can be applied to any topic. Take the border for example. I know people who want it open because this country was founded on immigration. They also point out that the American dream still has pull and if I lived in a third world country, I would be tempted to take my family to a place with running water, free education, and opportunities to make generational impacts on the prospects of my family.

The other side of the argument is the human and drug trafficking, overrun infrastructure and burdens on taxpayers. Both arguments have merit. It’s only when you get to the central issues of why it matters to all sides that you can start solving problems.

This “why” question allows us to take the emotion out and discuss real issues and problems and how to come to solutions to them. Where do our “whys” align? Once the “why” of an issue is agreed on, it becomes much easier to figure out the “what” and the “how.”

Then, and only then, can we make decisions based on reasoned consideration of evidence that supports our “whys” and move toward items of compromise we all agree on.

After all, that’s why our government was set up the way it was, and why it works when we follow our original founders’ “whys.”

Ben Bell lives in Evanston with his wife and kids. He is an officer with First Bank of Wyoming and a member of the Uinta County Economic Development Commission, Rotary, and Jump Start Evanston. He’s lived in Evanston for 11 years.