5 Steps to Be Sure Your Team Hears What You Say
Leadership
October 11, 2013
David Dye
President of Trailblaze, Inc.
Topics
clarity, Communication, ExpectationsThird Time Is the Charm?
Recently, I dropped off a friend at the airport.
As I pulled away, a man wearing a yellow traffic-control vest stood in between lanes of traffic, waving his hand.
His index and middle finger were extended as he made eye-contact with me, waved his hand repeatedly up toward my car and then down, pointing at the adjacent lane. I nodded my agreement, slowed down, and eased into the next lane over. Then I waved back at the traffic-controler and continued on my way -
Whereupon he slammed his hand down on my hood and yelled, “STOP!” I slammed on my brakes and he waved some pedestrians across the traffic lanes.
Looking at him, he was clearly upset that I had ignored his traffic signal.
I wasn’t sure what had happened as he’d never told me to stop, but I shook it off and got on with my life…
Until nine days later when I was in the middle of a construction zone – and it happened again.
A man wearing an orange vest stood at the beginning of a blocked off lane and this time waved both hands, two fingers extended waving the cars in the center lane to merge into the lane on either side of him.
Once again, I made eye contact, slowed down, slid over into the lane he indicated, and – he yelled at me to “Stop!”
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What a great post, David! I recommend everyone read the remainder of the article at your site.
I think this is so important, and is the source of many a misunderstanding: “I would have known to stop my car because we’d created a common vocabulary.”
The steps you suggest are applicable in so many situations. Thank you for sharing them.
You’re very welcome, Mary.
I’m glad to hear those steps are beneficial. I know they have helped me many times over!
Take care,
David