Sometimes we forget that employees aren’t robots. You can’t just hand them a checklist of steps and expect them to thrive. Yes, they might complete the tasks, but without understanding the bigger picture, the work can feel empty and routine.
I once worked with someone who started her day by pulling out a well-worn notebook of SOPs. Every task she did was written out in detail, and she followed it line by line. On the surface, it looked great. She was organized, consistent, and efficient. But there was a catch: she didn’t really know why she was doing any of it. To her, work had become a series of boxes to check.
One morning, she came across a situation that wasn’t in the notebook. She was comparing invoices and noticed a price that didn’t match what the vendor usually charged. She knew how to update the price on the computer, but she hesitated. Should she do it? Should she ask first? Was there something bigger at play she might not understand? Without the “why,” she felt stuck.
That’s the limitation of training people only in the what and how. Playbooks and procedures are helpful. They bring consistency and reduce errors. But when employees don’t have the reasoning behind the task, their ability to problem-solve is limited. They can’t confidently make judgment calls, so they play it safe. Over time, this can lead to frustration, boredom, and disengagement.
Think about it: would you feel motivated if your work was reduced to following steps someone else wrote, without ever knowing how it mattered? Most people want to contribute more than that. They want to feel like their work has an impact.
This is where leaders have an opportunity. The solution isn’t to throw out the playbook—it’s to pair it with context. When you train someone, don’t just explain what to do. Take the time to explain why it matters. Show them how their role connects to the bigger picture of the company. Share the downstream effects of their work; how catching an error saves money, how accurate data strengthens customer trust, how initiative leads to growth.
When employees understand the why, something changes. They move from being passive followers of instructions to active participants in the business. They feel empowered to ask better questions, to take initiative, and to care about outcomes. And that shift doesn’t just help the company, it makes their work more meaningful.
Processes and SOPs are important, but they’re only half the story. The real difference comes when employees are invested, not just instructed. And that investment starts with leaders who are willing to share the “why.”
Beck Insights creates playbooks that not only detail individual processes, but show how the processes impact each other. Our dynamic playbooks not only link processes to each other, but show how people interact with each other while following the process.
