Name Your Why and Who means defining the purpose of the work and the exact individuals or groups who rely on it. “Good” looks like concise statements that hold under pressure: a durable why tied to contribution and identity, paired with a clearly named who that guides execution. Leaders who practice this eliminate ambiguity, clarify expectations, and reduce unnecessary effort.
This imperative drives two outcomes: sharper directional discipline and less wasted spend from misaligned work. When leaders define purpose and beneficiary, teams filter decisions faster, cut low-value work earlier, and collaborate more effectively. Execution becomes more predictable because everyone understands what matters and why.
Teams chase activity instead of outcomes. SLAs slip because work doesn’t align with real needs. Stakeholders escalate as misaligned deliverables trigger rework. Cycle time expands as teams redo unclear tasks. Costs rise through duplicated effort and preventable mistakes. Customer experience becomes inconsistent, and leaders lose credibility as priorities shift without explanation.
Execution aligns tightly to strategy. Teams eliminate unnecessary work early, freeing capacity for high-value tasks. KPIs move in the right direction: cycle time shortens, project abandonment rates drop, and a greater share of work maps directly to business goals. Stakeholders experience cleaner handoffs and faster delivery. Leaders regain time, and teams deliver value with less friction.
A project analyst inherited 14 competing requests spread across marketing, product, and operations. Instead of pushing through the backlog, she paused to name the why and who behind each item. Five requests lacked meaningful purpose and were archived immediately. Four more were reframed after she validated the intended beneficiaries. Within two weeks, her team reduced active work by 40%, accelerated a customer-critical feature by 10 days, and cut rework by half.
Purpose 100, 200, and 300 are distinct angles on direction. To strengthen clarity in execution, explore Integrity 300: Say It Plain for direct expectation-setting and Accountability 100: Claim the Result for visible ownership that reinforces purpose-driven work.
