Why are you doing it? Turning requests into results

If someone asks you to do something, do you do it?  Depends on who’s asking, I guess.  But even if that person asking is your boss, or a client, or a superior or some kind, it’s still your responsibility to ensure what they’re asking for is really what they want.

I am not encouraging you to play the role of contrarian with every request.   Just make sure there’s clear understanding about not just what’s been asked for, but what that request is meant to accomplish. 

What’s the desired end result?  What does success look like?  Will the specific request achieve that result? 

Your boss, partner or client may have already done a translation in their head about what they need to achieve a certain result.  But what if they’re wrong?  What if you have a better tactical solution to achieve that outcome? 

The easiest way to do this is to simply ensure clarity on the final expected or desired result.  If that result maps to the work requested, great.  If you have better insight into what will more quickly, efficiently or cost-effectively achieve that result, it’s your job to make the course correction and deliver the result.