I see many business people conditioned to take what another individual asks or tells them at face value, accepting it as an order to fulfill.
That's natural, I suppose.
Someone tells you they want something done, and maybe most of us are pre-conditioned to attempt to make it happen. That used to be me ALL the time. It's still me SOME of the time.
Alternatively, when someone tells you what they want - whether it's a boss, an associate, or a customer doing the telling - don't immediately accept the comment as an order.
Instead, consider what the individual asked for as a suggestion.
With that perspective, reconnect with the granddaddy of all strategic thinking questions: What are we trying to achieve?
Grounded in recalling what YOU want to achieve, ask yourself various strategic thinking questions to consider potential responses to the suggestion:
When you run through these strategic thinking questions, you'll be much better positioned to respond with ideas for mutually-advantageous alternatives instead of simply doing everything as ordered. – Mike Brown