Executive Summary
The "How do I get X to do Y" question format is definitely not always an issue, take this very successful question for instance: How can I encourage a culture of punctuality in a software company?
The issue is what the X and Y are.
X as Boss vs. X as Subordinates
If you are a boss, it is your job to get people to do stuff. If you can't, that is a serious issue that definitely has a place being discussed here. You also have a lot more leeway to actually do something about it if your subordinates aren't doing what they need to.
The reverse often falls in to one of the pitfalls on the don't ask page of the help center, namely:
- your question is just a rant in disguise: “______ sucks, am I right?”
And if it does fall in to that pitfall (as many questions often do), we should comment, close, and/or aggressively edit the question.
Y as Do Their Duty vs. Y as Do What I Want
If you are talking about someone doing what they are supposed to do (come in on time, give a promised raise, manage a problem in the office if a boss, etc.), then the question is far more likely to have value. Many of these things are virtually common sense requests that unfortunately are also commonly ignored by the people who should do them.
However, if you want someone to do whatever you think should be done, you tend to fall in to the same traps as before listed on the don't ask page of the help center, namely:
- your question is just a rant in disguise: “______ sucks, am I right?”
Examples
"How do I convince my employees to come to team meetings on time?"
Good question.
(Boss to Employee + Common Sense)
"How do I convince my employees to fill out TPS reports?"
Decent question.
(Boss to Employee + Not So Common Sense)
"How do I convince my boss to support training new team members?"
Decent question.
(Employee to Boss + Common Sense)
"How do I convince my boss to put me in charge of decision-making?"
Bad question.
(Employee to Boss + Not So Common Sense)
