Do You Talk to Each Other?

The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.

– George Bernard Shaw

You're on a highway, relying on your car's GPS to navigate. You see an alert a traffic jam up ahead and it offers you a faster, smoother alternative route. You take the suggested detour and bypass the congestion, saving valuable time and unnecessary stress. Quite a good feeling isn’t it?

Your team has the exact same thing, if you spend enough time focusing on building it.

Your team members are the ones knee-deep in the daily operations, catching sight of challenges long before they escalate into crises. They can spot the potholes, the roadblocks, and the potential detours before you even get there. If they're not passing on these critical updates to you, you’re choosing to drive blindfolded.

The benefits go beyond merely avoiding difficulties. You can seize opportunities, exploit shortcuts. Being in the front lines, your team has a pulse on the ground, opening up possibilities for new routes and strategies that might be invisible from your vantage point.

You need to show your team what a roadblock looks like, help them see issues before they become problems. Once you get there, listen. Listen with intent, understand their concerns, their ideas, their feedback. Let their insights fuel your strategy. This is what differentiates a leader from the crowd.

Great leaders acknowledge the collective wisdom of their team. They don't shut out the hard truths; they seek them. They don't just command; they collaborate. They don't just dictate; they discuss.

You can choose to ignore the alerts, or worse yet, build a team that doesn’t even see them, continuing heading into the traffic snarl. Or you can seize the opportunity, foster open communication, and take the better route.

The choice is yours.