I’d love to know why

I got a notification from Mailchimp the other day informing me that they terminated my account for violating their Terms of Use.

What they didn’t tell me was why. Why, or more appropriately, how, so that I’d know what not to do next time.

Or consider the long string of job rejection letters I recieved last year. While I appreciate that many of these recruiters and hiring managers actually got back to me—as opposed to the more common practice of ghosting me—none of them told me why.

Why didn’t I get the job? What could I have done better? What did the person who got the job do differently?

If your going to communicate something, it’s best to explain why. That way, people can better gauge what works and what doesn’t—and not repeat those steps next time—enabling a better future for themselves and for others in the process.

Small, generous steps compounded.