Explain, not justify

I keep a list of clients—the teams—which I like to work with again. I qualify the teams based on handful of rules. The is one of them.

Never work with a team which needs more justifications than explanations to reach a decision.

Here, I’m not just refering to the ‘explanations’ and ‘justifications’ which I required to make. I’m refering to all that are made among the team members. This how Oxford dictionary defines them.

explain

make (an idea or situation) clear to someone by describing it in more detail or revealing relevant facts

justify

show or prove to be right or reasonable

Can you imagine how they influence the people differently?

The decisions made through ‘explanations’ are mutual. They inspire every one involved. At the same the decisions made through ‘justifications’ feels coerced. The process of ‘justification’ drains more energy than the ‘explanation’, the energy which could have been used for other productive work.