Results are a finite measuring stick. A “get it done” mindset can drive task completion and produce results. Said to other people, though, the words “just get it done” have effects the leader did not intend.
What we say to ourselves is not necessarily what we should say to others. Looking at my own action list each day, I want to complete and check off as many items as I can. It is a personal accountability tool, and I will often think, looking at a task, “just get it done.”
Why the phrase does not motivate others
The phrase can motivate the person saying it. Said to another person or a group, it does not have the same effect. Some of the reasons it demotivates:
- Speed to completion may not be the only goal of the work.
- Challenges may exist that need additional resources or time.
- It ends the dialogue that could produce a better way to do the work.
- It shrinks the room for collaboration.
- Shortcuts nobody wanted become the cultural norm.
“Just get it done” is not an empowering statement. It is a one-way statement: the leader is signalling there will be no more discussion on the subject. The employee must produce results even without the authority or the resources to do so. In a typical local government setting, the statement can tell the employee that the leader does not care about them or about any of the obstacles between them and the outcome.
In a group setting the damage goes further than one employee. The group’s culture suffers as others work to avoid being shut down in public. It also sets the standard for those who will lead next.
Leading is not the same as doing
Leading includes standards for delivery time and quality of work, and it includes holding people accountable. It also requires genuine care for other people and their wellbeing. There are ways to meet a deadline that motivate people far better than “just get it done.”
