You’ve probably been there. You ask someone to do a simple task—maybe find a specific file or look up a vendor—and instead of a result, you get a dozen questions. "Where is the file?" "Which vendor?" "Should I use Google or the internal drive?" "Do you want it by Friday or now?" It’s enough to make any leader want to scream. This specific frustration is exactly why a tiny, blistering essay called A Message to Garcia became one of the most published pieces of literature in human history.
Honestly, it’s kind of a weird story. Elbert Hubbard, a guy with a floppy tie and a flair for the dramatic, sat down one evening in 1899 and hammered out a 1,500-word preachment. He was annoyed with his staff. He felt like nobody wanted to take initiative anymore. He published it in his magazine, The Philistine, and within weeks, the President of the New York Central Railroad was ordering copies by the hundreds of thousands.
Then the Russian Army wanted it. Then the Japanese Army. It became the ultimate "stop complaining and get it done" manifesto. But here’s the thing: while it's praised as a masterpiece of work ethic, it’s also been called a "boss’s wet dream" and a tool for exploitation.
What Really Happened with Rowan and Garcia?
The essay centers on a real event from the Spanish-American War. President William McKinley needed to get a message to General Calixto García, the leader of the Cuban insurgents. There were no cell phones. No email. Garcia was somewhere in the mountain fastnesses of Cuba—nobody knew exactly where.
Enter Rowan.
Andrew Summers Rowan was a Lieutenant in the U.S. Army. As Hubbard tells it, Rowan took the letter, sealed it in an oilskin pouch, strapped it over his heart, and four days later landed by night off the coast of Cuba in an open boat. He disappeared into the jungle and, three weeks later, emerged on the other side of the island, having delivered the letter.
Hubbard’s point wasn't about the war. He didn't care about the geopolitics. He cared about the fact that when McKinley gave Rowan the letter, Rowan didn't ask: "Where is he at?" or "How do I get there?"
He just took the letter and went.
The Disconnect Between Management and Reality
If you read A Message to Garcia today, it feels like a slap in the face. Hubbard spends a lot of time calling the average worker "morally deformed" or "half-witted." He complains about the "imbecility of the average man" and the "inability or unwillingness to concentrate on a thing and do it."
It’s harsh.
But if you strip away the Victorian-era insults, you find the core of what modern businesses call "ownership." In 2026, we talk about "autonomous squads" and "self-starting cultures," but we're basically just repackaging Hubbard’s 125-year-old rant. Managers love this essay because it validates their deepest frustration: the mental load of having to explain every microscopic step of a process.
However, there is a massive historical catch that Hubbard conveniently ignores.
Rowan was a highly trained military intelligence officer. He wasn't some random guy off the street. He had resources, training, and a very specific set of skills. When a manager hands a complex task to an entry-level employee who lacks context and says, "Go deliver a message to Garcia," and then gets mad when the employee asks for help, that's not a lack of initiative. That's a failure of leadership.
Why the Essay Went Viral Before the Internet
It’s hard to overstate how popular this thing was. We’re talking about over 40 million copies in print by the time Hubbard died in 1915 on the Lusitania.
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Why?
The industrial revolution was peaking. Companies were scaling at a pace never seen before. Owners were desperate for a workforce that didn't need constant hand-holding. The New York Central Railroad distributed it to every employee because they wanted to cut down on accidents and inefficiency.
It wasn't just about work, though. It became a cultural litmus test. If you liked the essay, you were a "striver." If you hated it, you were probably a "socialist" or a "slacker" (in Hubbard's view). Even today, it's frequently assigned reading in the U.S. Marine Corps and in many MBA programs. It taps into a primal human desire to be the hero who doesn't need a map.
The Dark Side of the "No Questions Asked" Mentality
Let’s be real for a second. In a modern work environment, "just getting it done" without asking questions can be a disaster.
- Safety: If you're working in a chemical plant, you better ask questions.
- Compliance: "Getting it done" can lead to "going to prison" if you ignore legal frameworks.
- Wasted Effort: Rowan knew his objective. If your objective is vague, you might spend forty hours delivering a message to the wrong Garcia.
Hubbard’s essay champions a blind obedience that doesn't always scale. In the 1890s, maybe you could get away with that. In 2026, where the "mountain fastness" is a complex cloud architecture or a shifting global market, the "Rowan" approach needs a serious upgrade. We need people who can navigate the jungle, sure, but we also need people who can tell us if the message we're sending is actually worth the trip.
The Myth vs. The Man
Hubbard himself was a bit of a contradiction. He started a community called Roycroft, which was part of the Arts and Crafts movement. He preached individual craftsmanship and the dignity of work. Yet, A Message to Garcia reads like a defense of the elite.
He wrote: "My heart goes out to the man who does his work when the ‘boss’ is away, as well as when he is at home."
He wasn't just talking about labor. He was talking about character. He believed that the man who could deliver the message to Garcia was a man who had mastered himself. That's the part that still resonates. It’s not about the boss; it’s about your own internal standard of excellence.
Actionable Insights: How to Be a Modern Rowan
If you want to apply the spirit of A Message to Garcia without becoming a mindless drone (or a frustrated jerk), there's a middle ground. It’s about reducing friction.
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1. The "Three Before Me" Rule
Before asking your boss or a colleague for the "how-to," try three different ways to find the answer yourself. Search the internal docs. Check the previous emails. Use an AI tool to brainstorm possibilities. When you finally do ask the question, start with: "I've tried X, Y, and Z, and I'm stuck on this specific part." That is a Rowan move.
2. Clarify the "Why," Not the "How"
When you get a task, don't ask for a step-by-step manual. Instead, ask what the successful outcome looks like. "Once this message is delivered, what is the specific result we're hoping for?" Once you know the destination, you can figure out your own path through the jungle.
3. Provide Options, Not Problems
If you hit a roadblock, don't just report the roadblock. Present three ways to get around it. "I can't find Garcia at the first camp. I’m going to check the ridge or wait for the scout. Which do you prefer?" You’re still taking initiative, but you’re keeping the stakeholder in the loop.
4. Eliminate the "Slack" Mentality
In the age of instant messaging, we’ve become lazy. We send "Quick question?" instead of doing five minutes of research. To deliver your "message," you have to protect your focus and the focus of those around you.
The Takeaway
A Message to Garcia isn't a perfect document. It’s cranky, it’s elitist, and it’s arguably unfair to the average worker. But its longevity proves that we still value the same thing McKinley valued in 1898: the ability to see a job through to the end without needing a chaperone.
The world is full of people who can do what they’re told. It has very few people who can figure out what needs to be done and then actually do it. Whether you're an entrepreneur, an artist, or an intern, being the person who "carries the message" is still the fastest way to become indispensable.
Stop asking where the oilskin pouch is. Just find the mountain.
Next Steps for Implementation
- Review your current task list: Identify one project where you’ve been waiting for "more information" and decide to find that information yourself today.
- Audit your communication: Look at the last five questions you asked a supervisor. Could you have found the answers with 10 minutes of independent research?
- Set a "Garcia" standard: For your next assignment, aim to deliver the finished product with zero clarifying questions, relying entirely on your own resourcefulness to solve mid-process hurdles.