Give people the why, not just the how

Most managers expect good output, yet far fewer, even at top firms, give good context.

I learned this the hard way. A partner at BCG almost labeled me as "lacking EQ" because my drafts for high-stakes client emails weren't hitting the mark. His request: "Just draft it, I'll edit." His context? Non-existent.

After several rounds of frustration, on both sides, I insisted on more context: what was his purpose with these updates? What were the main drivers of these specific high-value clients? What hurdles did he anticipate in achieving his goal?

The most critical question, always: why are we doing this?

It indeed took him some iterations to give me sharp answers. He was delaying his clarity. I ended up paying the price.

This is the risk for every junior person: when work misses the mark, you can't tell if it's your incompetence or missing context.

The management trap: overmanagement drowns people in "how." Undermanagement starves them of "why."

Each "why" changes everything about the "how." Why do you want to become batman? To ride the Batmobile? To wear the cool cape? To fight injustice and protect Gotham?

Similarly, when you provide your team with the purpose behind the request, you allow them to be proactive. Not: "Schedule a client lunch." But: "I need you to take them to lunch to rebuild trust after last week's delay and position our new product." Not: "Send me meeting notes." But: "I need notes so we capture their unspoken concerns and our commitments."

We all believe in good AI prompts. Yet, we haven't invested enough effort in creating good "prompts" for our people.

Ask yourself: what critical context have you been hoarding without realizing it?