Lead with why, follow with how

In every office, there's always someone who explains things with precision.

They’ll send you a message, an email, or even a voice note full of details.

You’ll get the steps, the deadlines, the format, even the folder where to save the file.

Perfectly clear.

But there’s a small problem. You’re not convinced. You read the message, nod vaguely… and do nothing.

Why? Because nobody told you why you should care.

This happens every day. At work, most of our messages are a mix of two things:

• The what and how (the instructions),

• and the why (the motivation).

Too often, we skip the motivation. We act like everyone’s already on board.

Like your colleague woke up thinking, “I really hope someone asks me for a report today.”

But people don’t work like that. We all need a reason to engage, an anchor, a spark, a sense of meaning.

Take this example.

A team lead sends out a message:

“Please update the shared document with your Q2 figures before 5 PM.”

Simple. Reasonable. And likely ignored.

Now imagine the same request, written differently:

“We’re preparing the Q2 review and want to spotlight strong initiatives in each region. Adding your team’s numbers helps us showcase the progress we’ve made together.”

Now it feels different. It’s not a task. It’s a contribution. Not a demand, but a chance to be part of the story.

People respond to meaning, not to process. And even the most practical people want to know their effort matters.

This doesn’t mean we should turn every message into a motivational speech.

Just that before we ask someone to act, we should help them see why it’s worth their time.

So before hitting “send,” pause for a second and ask yourself: Am I just passing along instructions? Or am I offering a reason to care?

Sometimes it only takes two or three extra minutes to write a message that resonates. But those two minutes might be the difference between a task that gets done and one that gets ignored.

Because once they believe in the why, the what becomes much easier. And the how? Well, sometimes they’ll figure that out on their own.

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Nicola Arnese helps professionals and teams communicate with greater impact by focusing on meaning—not just action. Through business coaching, talent coaching, and group coaching, he supports individuals in turning instructions into engagement, tasks into contributions, and processes into shared stories.

You're welcome to schedule a free, non-binding coaching session to access a pro bono coaching cycle. He offers these sessions during his free hours to ensure no conflicts with other business responsibilities—some scheduling flexibility may be required.