In a culture of Why, does How still matter?

In a work culture of “get stuff done” its easy to dismiss How the work gets done.

Why helps navigate the difficult to get to our outcomes. It’s a the reason to suffer. Why is the mantra that reminds us that the ends (results) justify the means (the work). And if there’s anything we like as entrepreneurs and business leaders, it’s results. Outcomes or bust, baby.

But Why alone can’t get us there, because outcomes and results take time. They take consistency over time. The arena in which we seek our goals is not constrained. It’s not a 94' x 50' court, 90 minutes on the pitch, or 36.1 miles of road. The game of life, the game of work, is bigger and longer. It’s a game of weeks, months, and years. And to get results in this game — we need to pace ourselves to achieve, celebrate, and recover along that way. But when and how? My suggestion… allow how you work, not why you work to answer that question.

Where How Reigns

How is critical with BIG outcomes. If there’s anything that entrepreneurs love more than results, its BIGGER results. Size matters. Scale matters. You can’t standup a tech company or a professional services agency overnight. You do not become champions all at once. You’ll need little to string together many little wins over time. And not just BIG wins, smaller wins that build on each other:

• “ahah” moments that change your work style (how you give feedback, how you prioritize tasks, creating time blocks on your calendar),
• getting on the same page with family about how to work best when you’re busy (when to schedule family appointments, outings, how to rearrange chores),
• finding a night time routine that helps you wake up earlier and get things done (this includes couple time, wink, wink),
• picking up the right mentor or team member.

Progress on larger objectives is simple. It is a function of both purpose (your why) and repeated action (how). Repeated action comes from getting dopamine along the journey. It can’t just be about the big goal at the end. Because there is no end. And for these reasons, the framing around execution, i.e, the how to do things, matters.