Why We Need Why’s

The more mundane the task, the more important it is to understand why we’re doing it. 

You can ask a person to file a report daily. If they come to believe it’s a box to be checked for a manager’s quota and little more, don’t expect unshakeable compliance. 

If, however, they understand why that report gives data on what resources should be provided to other areas of the business to keep everything running, the daily activity suddenly has a lot more meaning. 

Oh, and you can’t make this up either. If the report really is pointless, don’t lie. 

The more you ask a person to do meaningless work, the less motivated they’ll become.