“Show your work” isn’t just a math rule. At a job, it’s how people learn to trust your answers.

Showing the steps lets somebody check your reasoning rather than trust your conclusion, and that is how trust actually gets built at work. A right answer with no visible route is unverifiable, so nobody can rely on it or learn from it, and the next question starts from zero again. Visible reasoning also catches your own mistakes. It is a habit that makes you useful rather than impressive.

Next time you report something, include briefly how you got there. The source, the count, the two things you checked. Then notice how much less you get asked to justify yourself afterwards.