“they need to care more than you do”

By definition the dev team I lead builds things for other people. For the most part that works out pretty well. But sometimes we’ll get an ask and one of my team members will hit a dead end when they need more information, or following up on completed work will show it was never implemented. When that happens I tell my team to hit pause on additional work because “they need to care more than you do.”

This doesn’t mean we don’t care at all. It means we’re selective about where we direct our time and efforts. It also allows me as a leader to show I value my team’s time and I’m not willing to let them be underestimated. If a potential stakeholder doesn’t care enough to answer follow-up questions about their request, we’re not going to do the work. We’re trying to help them. Theirs is not our only ask. They need to care more than we do.