Explain the Why

Our younger son is two and a half years old. He's at the stage where he asks the question, "Why?" all the time. At his age, it's a matter of just wanting to learn about what's going on in his world. At his age, lots of things are new or unknown.

It's much the same way with adults. Everyone wants to understand why things happen or why they are being asked to do complete a given task. So often people are told what to do without any explanation as to the purpose behind the task. It's only natural to want to understand the "why" behind a project; to want to understand how a singular task fits into the big picture; to recognize that each step and each individual adds value to the organization as a whole.

Whether as a team building measure or simply as a common courtesy, I've found it very beneficial to explain the why.