What Is Better - Do As Told Or Ask Why?
June 14, 2025 · by anuwinnie
I watched a YouTube video of a music maestro in Bollywood - Ilayaraja. He is a music director for films, possessing a natural talent so exceptional that he can guide people in real time. In the video, a violinist played a tune - and within five seconds, with some tweaks from Ilayaraja, the music sounded so much better. (Link to the video) There are no subtitles, but essentially, the first version is the original, and the second version, which the flautist plays, is the result of the tweaks. For someone to be able to hear this in real-time, process it, and correct it so that it is significantly better is a sign of mastery. He has done this on various occasions, and the results are always way better.
You stand when they stand, you go when they say go. Maybe that’s the way you like it. It’s easy. It’s all there. You don’t have to think about. You don’t even have to feel it.
At work, I lead people, and one of my strengths and, hence, a potential weakness is being a ‘Developer’. The Developer theme in Gallup’s StrengthsFinder identifies individuals who are drawn to helping others grow and develop. They are often seen as nurturing and encouraging, seeing potential in others and actively fostering their development. Developers find satisfaction in witnessing the progress of those they support and are motivated by the growth of others. They are particularly skilled at spotting even minor improvements and celebrating those successes.
For some people, just a nudge is enough to help them reach the next level. That’s all they needed. And with some, a shove is what is required, as a nudge won’t work at all. With some, you have to let them be where they are. The last is the hardest for me - because I understand intellectually that some people are perfectly happy where they are, and it’s okay. But, to make peace with it - takes time. It feels like they are wasting their potential, their life—and, in some ways, not exercising the choice that being a human provides. Now, one can argue that they may have a lot going on in their life or they are just waiting to ride out the job or the most commonly used excuse at work - ‘We all need steady eddies, imagine if all of us wanted to be high performers.’
People confuse what I am trying to do with ‘High-Performance’. I am not asking them to do calculus, rocket science, memorise lines of code, or solve technical problems instantly. What I am pushing them to do is to do the right thing where they are - think for themselves and ask the question - why are they doing what they are doing at work and in their life? The story that I have told all my teams is that of ‘Building the Cathedral.’
As humans, we can be witnesses to our own actions - this is a capability that only the human species has in the entire world. Yet, we squander it by not asking WHY but blindly doing what we are told - because it is easy. We take the path of least resistance without engaging parts of the brain that will help us evolve. Most of us follow orders; only a few of us actually step back and think, ‘Why?’ and ask why. And they are often told to keep quiet, not ask stupid questions and do as they are told. However, they are incapable of doing that - if they see something, they must say something.
At work, after I tell the story, there are a few who will listen and start moving in that direction, while others continue doing exactly what they were doing.
Which group do you identify yourself with? Do you know what cathedral you are building?