As the <old> story goes …
A husband wondered why his wife cut both ends of a ham off before placing it in the oven. He decided to ask. Her response?
“Because my mom always did.”
So he went to his mother-in-law with the same question, and she retorted, “Because my mom always did.”
At the next family celebration—his wife’s grandmother’s 90th birthday—he sat with her to inquire, “Why do you always cut the ends of your ham off before putting it in the oven?” The newly minted nonagenarian (a real word, look it up!) said —
“Because my pan’s too short.”
It’s totally debatable …
Sometimes, we do things without knowing why, which can be unproductive. Yet, I maintain there are times when people should “do stuff” and do it well because—wait for it—that’s their job.
Yes, they should do what they’re told.
No, I’m not suggesting we return to the “my way or the highway” management style from decades past. I am saying that good managers know when to share purpose and when not.
Not knowing why didn’t matter …
Walking in our neighborhood, I encountered a young man in an orange vest with a STOP/SLOW sign in his hands. Nearby, workers were digging up the street. The young fella and I said “Good morning” and connected on the excellent weather. As he continued to direct traffic, I asked, “So what’s going on here—what needs to be repaired?”
“No clue,” as he gestured toward his sign and continued, “This is my whole job.”
I said, “And you do it well. The best I’ve ever seen!”—and we both laughed.
Did it matter that he didn’t have “the big picture”? I think not.
Another side of the coin …
In the Outstanding! book, we write this:
“Too many managers don’t understand that people will do practically anything (as long as it’s legal and ethical) if they know why they are doing it—and they’ll do it joyfully, with their full heart. Truth: purpose powers passion. The organization’s mission can excite people, giving them fuel, if you will, to do their jobs each day. It helps them feel like they are part of something larger than themselves and wards off the ‘I owe, I owe, so off to work I go!’ mentality, which, sadly, is all too common.”
I still believe the above. But also know that, like our traffic-directing, sign-holding twentysomething, not everyone needs to know everything. Sometimes, people need to do their jobs and do them competently while not worrying about anything else.
My view: There’s no right answer …
We asked our QBQ! Facebook Group (join us!) this question:
If you manage/lead people, do they always need to know “the why” behind a task—or are there times when they just need to do what’s asked of them?
The response was varied, with most believing that people absolutely need to know the “why” of their task/job. I wonder if that’s because consultants and authors have told them that. 😉
I believe this “knowing the why” thing is situation, job, and person-specific. Why? Because it takes time and energy for a manager to always ensure that each and every team member knows the purpose behind what they’ve been assigned.
I know some of you will disagree with this assertion, so let’s close with this:
What’s your view?
