Stop giving instructions. Start giving context.
I realized something about how I parent—and it’s the same mistake I see leaders make at work all the time.
I give my kids a lot of rules.
No phones.
Stop licking the grocery cart.
Do this. Don’t do that.
And often, I don’t actually explain the why.
What is even more ridiculous is, I know exactly how that feels on the receiving end.
Because it happens in the workplace constantly.
📝 We assign projects.
🎯 We set priorities.
🗣️ We tell people what needs to get done.
But we skip the most important part:
Why it matters.
There are very few people in the world who feel energized doing work they don’t understand.
When someone doesn’t know:
why this project matters
how it connects to the business
what success actually looks like
They don’t fully commit.
They merely comply.
And compliance is not the same as commitment.
I’ve seen this over and over again.
Two people can be given the exact same task—
One treats it like a checklist item.
The other treats it like it matters.
The difference? Context.
When people understand the “why,” everything changes.
They make better decisions.
They prioritize differently.
They catch things you didn’t even think to explain.
They feel ownership.
THEY FEEL LIKE THEY ARE A PART OF THE GREATER VISION!
Because now it’s not just your goal or the company’s goal.
It’s something they’re connected to.
And the irony is, giving context only takes maybe an extra minute or two.
“This matters because…”
“Here’s how this impacts the business…”
“What success looks like is…”
That’s it.
As leaders, we’re moving too fast to explain or worse, we assume people don’t need it or we think it’s obvious.
It’s almost never obvious.
If I want my kids to make good decisions when I’m not around, they need more than rules.
They need context.
Same goes for your team.
If you want better thinking, more ownership, and stronger performance - don’t just give the instruction.
Give the why.
If you’re reading this and thinking, “this is exactly what’s happening on my team,” don’t wait for it to fix itself. This is the work I specialize in and how I can help.
If you want to become the kind of leader people don’t just work for - but actually show up for - you can book time with me 👉 Book a coaching session
And if you’re not there yet, Season 4 of The F’ing Up Podcast is coming soon - where I talk about the real, unfiltered side of leadership and careers. Check out Seasons 1-3 until then.
