Oftentimes as CEO's we think it's not necessary to explain to our team members why we need something. We can fall into the trap of thinking that they work for us so they should do the job given to them.

But if we take a little time to do so we can actually create more success in our team understanding what we really need. Here are three reasons  why explaining the why behind what you want your team member to do is so important.

1. You get better results

A great example of why it’s so important to tell someone the why behind why you want them to do something is in this example where I asked my husband to go to the grocery store to get potatoes. If I just ask my husband to go get potatoes and offer no other explanation he may first of all forget I ask and secondly get to the store and just pick up any potatoes. Then he comes home and I’m frustrated because either he forgot them or he brought home the wrong ones. This can then cause an argument which can lead to bad feelings and resentment. All over potatoes!

Now if when I ask my husband to go to the store I give him some more specific details like I want the red bliss potatoes then he’s more likely to get me the right ones. However I still haven’t told him why I want those particular potatoes so he could still go, not find the potatoes I want and then just bring back any potatoes he can find. 

When we add the why into what we are asking we really imprint on to the other person the importance of what we are asking. So in this instance, I ask my husband to go to the store to get red bliss potatoes and I tell him that I’m going to make that amazing potato salad that I made last month for a picnic that he said was super delicious and it was because I used this type of potato so now I’ve created an image in his mind and I’m bringing in his sense, such as taste. So now when he goes to the store he is hyper aware of the kind of potatoes and if he can’t find them in one place he’ll probably go looking somewhere else because he has a reason for the importance of this type of potato. 

So we can see here already why it’s important for someone to get the why behind what you’re asking so they can really deliver on what it is that you want. 

If we transfer this to a work scenario you may ask one of your team for a report. If you take the time to explain what the report is going to be used for that team member can then make sure that they have the right information in there. They may also even think of more information that you didn't think of that they can add to the report to help you make that decision, which then supports you even more. 

2. It encourages ownership

Going back to the potato salad example, when my husband brings back the right potatoes he now feels that he’s contributed to this amazing potato salad I’m making. As with the report, the team member gathering that data is going to take ownership of it if they know the result and they’ll feel like they've contributed to something that is important. 

3. It creates greater connection

We all want to feel that we are contributing to a greater purpose, and that our work means something and matters. When you explain the why behind the work that your team does, when you share your company values and bring people into the goals this helps to facilitate your team feeling connected and as if they’re contributing to the bigger picture. This in turn creates connection and when we are connected to something on a deeper level we are more motivated to show up and do our best. 

Looking for more great tips on how to align and motivate your team? Check out my free resource here. 

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