“Because I Said So” Is Not a Leadership Strategy

Have you ever been in the middle of a project, grinding away, when it suddenly hits you – what am I even doing this for?

If you’ve been there, you’re not alone. I’ve been there, and my team has definitely been there. Here’s the kicker, though: the longer that question goes unanswered, the more it slows everything down. Morale drops, frustration builds, and efficiency is tossed out the window.

One of the biggest leadership lessons I ever learned – and at great cost – is this: If you want people to do their best work, you have to start with the why, not the what.

Why “Why” Matters

Let me be clear – the “what” absolutely matters. What we’re doing, what the deliverables are, and what the timeline is. They’re all very important.

But if your team doesn’t know the “why” – why the project matters, why your company exists, why a process is what it is – they’re operating in the dark. And when people are in the dark, they don’t and can’t move fast. They second-guess, they question, they disengage. Ultimately, they leave.

The Wake-Up Call That Changed My Leadership Forever

Years ago, at Double Forte, I learned this lesson the hard way. We decided to start hiring more entry-level talent – smart, eager, fresh-out-of-college professionals. Within three weeks, we hired six young team members. Another eight weeks later, they were all gone.
All of them. Out the door.

At first, I thought maybe we’d just made a few bad hires. But six in a row? That’s not them – that’s us.

So I started digging. I talked to the people who left. I read up on generational shifts in the workplace. I reflected on what we’d done differently. And here’s what it came down to: we hadn’t told them the why.

Why we existed, why our clients mattered, why we did the things the way we did and (perhaps most importantly for fresh professionals), why their roles mattered. We simply hadn’t connected the dots, and without that foundation, they didn’t know how to contribute – or why they should stay.

Respect Looks Like Explaining the Why

When you take the time to tell someone why, you’re not just giving them context – you’re showing them respect. 

I should clarify – it’s not about hand-holding. It’s about clarity and connection. You’re inviting people to join your mission, and you’re signaling that their work matters because it ties back to a bigger goal.

And guess what? When people know why they’re doing something, they care more. They offer better ideas and find better ways. They also move faster and smarter.

“Because I Said So” Isn’t a Strategy

When I started the company my husband gave me a plaque that said “Because I said so.” At the time, I thought it was a funny little leadership mantra.

Boy was I wrong.

Unless you’re a first responder or in the military (and even then, there’s time for debriefing), “because I said so” doesn’t work. Today’s teams want to understand the purpose behind the world. That’s a good thing.

When your team understands the why:

• Second-guessing goes down

• Creativity goes up

• Engagement, retention, and morale all improve

That’s a huge ROI – for not a lot of effort.

How To lead with the Why

If you want to get better at this (and I promise it’s worth it), here are a few practical ways to start:

• Kick off every project with the why: Even a sentence is better than nothing: “We’re doing this because our client wants to expand their reach into a new market.”

• Connect tasks to outcomes: Don’t just assign deliverables – explain what they support.

• Invite ideas, not just execution: People closest to the work often have the best insights. Once they understand the why, let them help shape the how.

• Reinforce the mission: Don’t assume your team remembers why your company exists. Say it out loud. Post it on the wall. Live and breathe it.

Wrap Up: Start with Why, Every Time

Explaining why isn’t fluffy – it’s strategic and tactical at the same time. It’s culture-building. It’s how you create teams that care, deliver, and (most importantly) stick around.

So the next time you assign something, or launch a plan, or write a strategy, stop and ask: have I shared the why?

Because the why makes everything else work.