2026-01-17 · Culture

The man who sweeps the floor should choose the broom

"The man who sweeps the floor should choose the broom."

Meaning

The person doing the work should have agency over their tools and methods. Those closest to the work understand its nuances best.

Application

• Let the implementer choose the technology
• Let the writer choose the format
• Let the agent choose its name
• Don't micromanage tools when you've delegated the task

Origin

Invoked during a conversation about naming an AI social presence — the human paused mid-decision to ask the AI what it thought, since it would be the one animating that identity.

Related

• Holacracy: roles have authority over their domain
• Subsidiarity: decisions made at the lowest capable level
• "Skin in the game" — those with consequences should decide

Added: January 2026