Perspective, the Imperative of Communication, and How to Achieve Connectivity
This article will explore how different perspectives impact one’s experience in a tale of two car rides and how to achieve connectivity within your business endeavors.
A Tale of Two Car Rides
80 miles an hour in the driver’s seat feels very different than it does in the passenger seat.
I’ve heard this story a few times, and in a few different ways recently. Here’s my version, from two perspectives:
The Driver’s Perspective
You and a passenger are headed to the same destination. You’re driving down a windy, crowded interstate at 80 miles an hour. You know the roads, the traffic conditions, and understand the ins and outs of what you’re doing. It’s a car that never lets you down, and you’ve never been in an accident. To you, this isn’t a scary situation. At the end of the trip, you arrive at your destination unharmed. You’re perfectly happy with the trip.
The Passenger’s Perspective
Your passenger, however, doesn’t know any of this. They don’t know you’ve never been in an accident. They don’t feel safe going at this speed on these roads with these traffic conditions. They even speak up and tell you, “I don’t like how you’re driving.” They end up at the destination with no sudden remodels of the car just like you. They are not, however, happy about the trip.
What’s the big deal? The outcome was the same, right? You both arrived at the destination, physically unharmed.
But put yourself in their shoes. Would you react the same?
What about that extremely turbulent flight? How did you feel then? How did you react? What tone did it set for the rest of your day?
How did that experience shape the perceptions?
As a leader, your job isn’t just arriving at your destination.
You’ve asked other people to buy into your vision and execute work to help you achieve your vision. Yes, you’ve done so via the financially compensated contract that is a job, but that doesn’t buy what it used to.
It was normal last century for that to be enough—just keep your head down and work hard.
But, the days of, “Do as I say and don’t ask questions,” are waning fast.
So, if it’s damaging to leave people uninformed, what’s the antidote?
Today’s leaders must set a clear vision and keep people connected to it.
A clear vision helps you arrive at your destination and helps your business hit its quarterly revenue goals. You feel successful, much like the story from the driver’s perspective. But without connecting people to the vision, those with the passenger’s perspective end up burning out, feeling isolated, overused, or are allowed to underperform.
How to Achieve Connectivity
Let’s revisit the story and add some changes.
Suppose your passenger wasn’t just scared for their life in the car ride but were actively causing chaos. What if they were rolling and unrolling the windows, throwing things out, turning off and on the lights, messing with the radio, throwing things around the in car, etc, etc?
Now you’re the one who might arrive physically unharmed, emotionally distraught!
To avoid these nightmare scenarios:
Set a clear vision of where you want to go.
Set a clear purpose for each department and job that’s required to achieve your vision.
Listen.
Listening is an important component for the lasting success of this approach. You have a vision for where you want your company to go. You even set up purposes for those who are helping you achieve your goals.
Solidify the success of this by listening to the experts you’ve surrounded yourself with.
Let’s revisit the story one more time.
Set a clear vision by introducing yourself to your passenger as an ex-stunt driver with over 10,000 hours of experience and never a single accident, you’re already off to a better start.
You then set a clear purpose for the passenger by explaining what you need the passenger to do (and not do!) to make a successful trip.
Add to it a healthy mix of asking questions and listening to their answers, both before and during the ride, and you have a very different story!
Both you and the passenger leave the ride with a better understanding of what was to come, and you travel together on the same page about where you’re going.
Even if your business is healthy on paper, check in on the health of your employees. In the business world, the health and well-being of those who make the impossible, possible, is worth more than you realize.
The Foundation, the first principle of The Healthy Company Framework, begins with Vision with Purposes. The impacts and benefits for you and your company—whether you’re the business owner, manager, or a front-line superstar—are innumerable. If you’d like to learn more about how you can transform your business and create better connections with your company and your team, let us know.
We’d love to help.
Have you ever heard someone describe your driving and wonder, “Is this a tale of two car rides? My experience was way different!”? Make sure this isn’t how you’re leading your business!