This simple question has caused quite an uproar recently.
It’s a common question for those of us who like to spend part of our Sundays preparing for the upcoming week.
Of course, the controversy isn’t about the question itself, but the manner in which it was asked. Normally employers don’t coldcock their employees with a threatening email telling them if they don’t answer immediately they will be fired. The pursuit of the admirable goal of saving tax dollars and making our government more efficient doesn’t give the DOGE crew or anyone else a license to behave in such a clumsy and cruel fashion.
Politics aside, no professional should have a problem answering their boss when asked, “What did you do this week?” Candidly it’s question we should be asking ourselves. And to be fair to Elon’s crew, there’s no doubt that for some people answering “What did you do this week” can get a little tricky.
If you manage people, especially larger groups, the knee jerk answer could be a list of meetings: 1:1s with your boss and direct reports, project meetings, status meetings, client check-ins, you get the idea. The higher you climb the more your job can turn into performing in meetings.
For those in more junior roles, the answer could be a list of tasks or recurring duties assigned by others.
The real significance of the “What did you do this week?” question is determining if we truly understand the difference between doing and accomplishing.
The problem is quite often, especially in large organizations, hard-working, well-meaning employees can spend their week attending meetings or fulfilling rote tasks without actually accomplishing anything meaningful. A list of everything we supposedly got done doesn’t matter if those things don’t advance or support the achievement of a key company project or goal.
Ultimately there is no place for threats in high performing cultures, but at the same time if you’re not sure what you truly accomplished last week, it might be worthwhile to spend some time today pondering the question.