Just Do It

I once worked for a manager
who would assign me a task
and when I’d ask why the task was needed,
he’d reply with
“Just do it.”

Yes, sometimes in dire emergency situations,
it is necessary to tell staff
“Do it. I’ll explain later.”
but only in end-of-your-world type scenarios.
Otherwise, it is degrading
and smacks of condescension.

David Peck shares that
delegating without sufficient context
is a managing technique that increases distrust.

“Behaviors:
Making a request or command
to do something
without explaining why,
or where it fits in to the bigger picture.

Unintended message you send:
You don’t need to be
in the loop of the “why” of this.
I don’t care enough about your success
to actually increase the odds
you will succeed here.”

When giving a task,
explain why the task is necessary.