March 9, 2026
Communication Breakdowns: What Leaders Can Do to Get It Right
Leadership frameworks for managers and new manager leadership skills don't mean much if your message isn't landing. Leadership for managers starts with one foundational skill that everyone assumes they already have — and almost everyone gets wrong at some point.
Communication. We talk about it constantly, and yet breakdowns still happen in our teams, our meetings, and our everyday interactions. The message was clear. The intent was good. And somehow, it still didn't land the way you meant it to.
In this episode, I take you inside two real-life moments — including one at 30,000 feet — that reveal exactly how communication unravels and what it actually looks like when it's done right. If you've ever walked away from a conversation wondering how things went sideways, this episode will hit close to home.
Because communication isn't just about what you say. It's about who hears it, how they receive it, and whether the right message reached the right person at the right time.
The key to better leadership might not be missing after all — you may just need to know where to look.
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WEBVTT
00:01.111 --> 00:10.359
[SPEAKER_00]: I was on a flight, and what I witnessed was a perfect example of how easily communication breaks down, and exactly what it looks like when we get it right.
00:10.880 --> 00:11.641
[SPEAKER_00]: So stay with me.
00:16.905 --> 00:20.549
[SPEAKER_00]: Welcome to Crossroads in Catalyst, the podcast with Cheneetabee, I am your host.
00:20.989 --> 00:28.536
[SPEAKER_00]: This is where we discuss how a thoughtful, wise, and strategic perspective at a crossroads can be the catalyst for change in your leadership and career.
00:29.444 --> 00:36.338
[SPEAKER_00]: Now everyone says that communication is the key to great relationships, whether you're at work or at home, or just in general, right?
00:37.080 --> 00:39.865
[SPEAKER_00]: So then why do we lose the key right when we need it the most?
00:40.567 --> 00:43.613
[SPEAKER_00]: Today we're going to be breaking down the communication breakdown.
00:44.335 --> 00:48.904
[SPEAKER_00]: But before I do that, I want to communicate to you several ways that you can support the show.
00:48.884 --> 00:53.829
[SPEAKER_00]: Whether you're listening in an apple or Spotify, hit the follow button so that you don't miss an episode.
00:53.990 --> 00:57.754
[SPEAKER_00]: And of course, you can always do this at my website crossroads in catalyst.com.
00:58.254 --> 01:07.464
[SPEAKER_00]: The other thing that you can do is you can share it with a friend or two, because just like you are seeking resources to assist you with your leadership journey, your friends and colleagues are as well.
01:08.125 --> 01:12.790
[SPEAKER_00]: And the other thing that you can do is if you find value in this content, then buy me a coffee.
01:13.291 --> 01:14.672
[SPEAKER_00]: The link is in the show notes.
01:15.614 --> 01:31.125
[SPEAKER_00]: So I think we all know that there's verbal and nonverbal communication and we recognize that things can go down really quickly because the verbal and the nonverbal Extremely important, but those nonverbal cues, yeah, they say a lot.
01:31.105 --> 01:37.800
[SPEAKER_00]: and even when the message is benign or seemingly very direct, it can still be taken the wrong way.
01:38.562 --> 01:44.154
[SPEAKER_00]: And I can say with certainty that everyone has been burned by bad communication.
01:44.615 --> 01:47.983
[SPEAKER_00]: And it may not have even started out as bad communication.
01:48.301 --> 02:01.678
[SPEAKER_00]: And part of the reason why I think this is is because inherent to communication is an expectation that when we say something to one another, that we will understand the meaning because words have meaning.
02:02.379 --> 02:09.728
[SPEAKER_00]: But when you start talking about different languages and cultures, okay, that's gonna change it.
02:09.748 --> 02:17.278
[SPEAKER_00]: But we take for granted that because we have these things in common that the message will automatically be received.
02:17.258 --> 02:35.453
[SPEAKER_00]: and even aptitude is going to play a role in this, and of course there are definitely other factors because I didn't even mention mental and physical health or even attitude, all of which are going to influence what we take away from any type of interaction with someone.
02:36.091 --> 02:55.291
[SPEAKER_00]: And let's not forget timing, have you ever received a text message when you were in a hurry and you completely misconstrued what was being said and not to mention being in a bad mood, your mood can completely impact what you walk away with from some type of message.
02:56.112 --> 03:00.597
[SPEAKER_00]: And so if you can relate to that thing, you've just proven my point because we've all been there.
03:00.577 --> 03:06.945
[SPEAKER_00]: And if you didn't know, clear and direct communication is not always received clearly nor taken directly.
03:07.726 --> 03:13.935
[SPEAKER_00]: And this is what leads me to the example of a flight that I was on from Boston's Logan International Airport.
03:14.696 --> 03:17.780
[SPEAKER_00]: Now this flight, it departed late, which is not uncommon, right?
03:17.840 --> 03:21.184
[SPEAKER_00]: We kind of recognize that
03:21.164 --> 03:23.108
[SPEAKER_00]: fly to not always going to leave on time.
03:23.609 --> 03:25.733
[SPEAKER_00]: And this flight was late by almost an hour.
03:25.813 --> 03:29.079
[SPEAKER_00]: So as you can imagine, people's cortisol levels were high.
03:29.119 --> 03:31.002
[SPEAKER_00]: They were frustrated.
03:31.023 --> 03:35.511
[SPEAKER_00]: They were just anxiety-ridden to say the least.
03:36.272 --> 03:44.067
[SPEAKER_00]: Especially with the delay that's significant because if you had a short layover wealth, of course you already know, you just don't know what's going to happen.
03:44.047 --> 04:01.313
[SPEAKER_00]: So, as we were preparing to Deplane, the seat belt sign went off, but before that, the flight attendant made an announcement and asked, hey, if you do not have a connecting flight, if you can please keep the aisles clear, that would be helpful too.
04:01.293 --> 04:05.202
[SPEAKER_00]: our passengers who need to get to their next flight.
04:06.064 --> 04:06.305
[SPEAKER_00]: Great.
04:07.247 --> 04:10.795
[SPEAKER_00]: Should have been just as easy for everybody to understand that.
04:11.497 --> 04:14.965
[SPEAKER_00]: There are a lot of assumptions with these things too, right?
04:16.008 --> 04:21.980
[SPEAKER_00]: So as you can imagine, people started filing into the aisle.
04:22.581 --> 04:26.650
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, there was one particular situation that was taking place just a few rows ahead of me.
04:27.451 --> 04:33.303
[SPEAKER_00]: And a passenger noticed that another lady had started blocking the aisle.
04:34.005 --> 04:37.712
[SPEAKER_00]: And so she indicated, she sat to her directly,
04:37.692 --> 04:40.956
[SPEAKER_00]: Hey, they have connecting flights.
04:40.976 --> 04:41.737
[SPEAKER_00]: That was all she said.
04:41.757 --> 04:48.266
[SPEAKER_00]: They have connecting flights to which this other passenger passenger be said, well, I didn't know.
04:48.286 --> 04:51.230
[SPEAKER_00]: And this is the first time I flown in a long time.
04:52.031 --> 04:53.092
[SPEAKER_00]: Those were her exact words.
04:54.334 --> 04:55.735
[SPEAKER_00]: And she continued to block the aisle.
04:56.877 --> 04:58.519
[SPEAKER_00]: So then the other passengers
04:58.769 --> 05:04.898
[SPEAKER_00]: repeated the sentiment of passenger A and passenger one maintained her position.
05:05.639 --> 05:06.360
[SPEAKER_00]: She didn't move.
05:06.840 --> 05:08.362
[SPEAKER_00]: She didn't show any concern.
05:08.422 --> 05:15.012
[SPEAKER_00]: She just completely disregarded the statement that passenger A made to her.
05:16.754 --> 05:19.718
[SPEAKER_00]: So then what we have here is a failure to communicate.
05:21.060 --> 05:24.625
[SPEAKER_00]: Okay, because despite the attempts
05:24.993 --> 05:27.657
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, no one actually asked her to move.
05:28.638 --> 05:41.515
[SPEAKER_00]: And because she lacked a sense of urgency, and she basically just regarded everything that everyone sat around her, didn't matter to her that there were passengers who had connecting flights.
05:41.535 --> 05:42.997
[SPEAKER_00]: She wanted to get off the plane as well.
05:43.958 --> 05:50.106
[SPEAKER_00]: So then, how do you address a problem like this?
05:50.086 --> 05:59.301
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, this was one of those situations where a lot of things could have contributed to the lack of understanding or the disregard that this woman demonstrated.
06:00.463 --> 06:06.552
[SPEAKER_00]: She may not have even heard the announcement of the flight attendant to please not block the aisle if you don't have a connecting flight.
06:07.213 --> 06:13.984
[SPEAKER_00]: Because if you've been on a plane, you know that it is not easy to hear those announcements that are being made on the intercom system.
06:15.044 --> 06:28.738
[SPEAKER_00]: Okay, so then the fact that the woman said something to her, well, this woman didn't have any any stake in that issue, she was not she didn't she was not going to miss her flight.
06:28.998 --> 06:30.522
[SPEAKER_00]: So what difference did it make to her?
06:32.189 --> 06:44.427
[SPEAKER_00]: The point is, again, because there was no one who said, do you mind moving out of the aisle so that these passengers can get to their flights if they don't get there?
06:44.467 --> 06:49.675
[SPEAKER_00]: They may miss their flights, who knows if it even would have happened that way?
06:49.655 --> 06:50.436
[SPEAKER_00]: we don't know.
06:50.817 --> 06:59.071
[SPEAKER_00]: But my point is, is there was an opportunity to communicate more clearly and effectively to this passenger and everyone missed it.
06:59.331 --> 07:12.574
[SPEAKER_00]: And instead what people started doing, they started dropping F-bombs, they started mumbling and muttering under their breath, all kinds of things that
07:14.377 --> 07:18.567
[SPEAKER_00]: The woman didn't move and she continued on and so people who were going to potentially miss their flights.
07:18.587 --> 07:29.854
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, they were just going to have to wait to get off right after she got off because she was staking her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her
07:31.825 --> 07:32.165
[SPEAKER_00]: cut.
07:33.187 --> 07:57.360
[SPEAKER_00]: She was putting her stake in the ground on that issue, which unfortunately just kind of demonstrated that maybe she was a bit rude and inconsiderate, but the fact remains that there was an expectation placed on her and no one actually spelled out to her what they wanted her to do and ask her if she would follow through on that.
07:57.340 --> 08:02.710
[SPEAKER_00]: So applying pressure was not going to help, and so that's another thing, right?
08:03.331 --> 08:13.189
[SPEAKER_00]: Applying peer pressure in a situation like that is not going to help people who have already determined that they have no desire to assist in any way.
08:13.169 --> 08:17.313
[SPEAKER_00]: So, how do you relate this to your team?
08:17.393 --> 08:23.199
[SPEAKER_00]: Because in this particular situation, we had a lack of effective communication.
08:23.720 --> 08:29.286
[SPEAKER_00]: We had a lack of urgency and a lack of situational awareness.
08:30.227 --> 08:40.037
[SPEAKER_00]: And this is a combination that we do not want to encounter, partly because when you're trying to convey information,
08:40.017 --> 09:00.625
[SPEAKER_00]: you want it to be received and understood and carried out and you can't do that if the people who are receiving that information do not care, do not understand or do not see that there's an urgent situation that requires their attention.
09:01.921 --> 09:02.603
[SPEAKER_00]: What's the point?
09:03.545 --> 09:19.221
[SPEAKER_00]: And so this is what I want to say to you is as you consider how you communicate with others, your personality, your attitude, how you've already interacted with historical precedent.
09:20.095 --> 09:32.319
[SPEAKER_00]: What is your team going to walk away with when they interact with you because this story only highlights the need to be specific and what you say and target it in your scope.
09:33.141 --> 09:34.864
[SPEAKER_00]: Okay, so you have to.
09:36.059 --> 09:39.104
[SPEAKER_00]: Outline, especially understanding who your audience is.
09:39.144 --> 09:44.073
[SPEAKER_00]: If you don't know your audience, it's going to be a challenge for you to tailor your message to them.
09:45.055 --> 09:53.970
[SPEAKER_00]: And I want us to be clear on what this is supposed to look like, because it's not always going to be comfortable, especially if you're in a group setting.
09:54.411 --> 10:00.261
[SPEAKER_00]: And for those of you who are introverts, it's not going to matter if you're in a group setting or if you're one on one,
10:00.241 --> 10:06.509
[SPEAKER_00]: it is uncomfortable for you to have a conversation and communicate certain pieces of information.
10:07.430 --> 10:25.152
[SPEAKER_00]: And so let me give you an example because I remember I was on a call with about a dozen people and we were discussing some financial transactions just trying to understand what took place throughout the period and call out some specific items and there was a consistent posting error
10:25.132 --> 10:36.323
[SPEAKER_00]: That was problematic and it gone on for quite some time and to allow this issue to continue, it might have impact for.
10:37.501 --> 10:38.723
[SPEAKER_00]: financial planning purposes.
10:38.763 --> 10:39.183
[SPEAKER_00]: How about that?
10:40.525 --> 10:48.898
[SPEAKER_00]: And while the leader of this particular meeting was making these general statements saying things like, well, we have to get these types of things fixed.
10:48.918 --> 10:51.261
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, we have almost a dozen people on this call.
10:51.321 --> 10:54.446
[SPEAKER_00]: Somebody on this call has to be responsible to get this fixed.
10:55.167 --> 11:01.016
[SPEAKER_00]: And I'm listening and no one is speaking up saying, oh, well, I've addressed this or this is what I've done.
11:01.056 --> 11:01.797
[SPEAKER_00]: Nothing.
11:01.837 --> 11:05.382
[SPEAKER_00]: It was, you could hear crickets apart from this guy.
11:05.362 --> 11:08.269
[SPEAKER_00]: telling them, hey, this is an issue we need to get it fixed.
11:08.289 --> 11:18.793
[SPEAKER_00]: So I just jumped in and I just asked, okay, so is there, is there someone on the call who has the responsibility for this department?
11:19.995 --> 11:22.020
[SPEAKER_00]: And I waited and they spoke up.
11:22.574 --> 11:27.361
[SPEAKER_00]: I said, okay, can you tell me, have you opened a ticket?
11:27.942 --> 11:35.855
[SPEAKER_00]: And so they began to explain the steps that they had gone through to try to address this issue and it did not get resolved.
11:35.875 --> 11:39.721
[SPEAKER_00]: And I said, okay, hey, do you mind opening another ticket?
11:40.522 --> 11:47.092
[SPEAKER_00]: And this particular leader, can you provide the supporting documentation to show that this problem is not fixed?
11:47.112 --> 11:50.758
[SPEAKER_00]: And then maybe this time, we can connect and have a meeting
11:50.738 --> 11:57.633
[SPEAKER_00]: So that we can walk through why this is still an issue to help them figure out what they need to do to get it fixed.
11:58.715 --> 12:06.773
[SPEAKER_00]: And so in the midst of that, that was a real time example of how you communicate effectively because again, when people
12:08.609 --> 12:21.286
[SPEAKER_00]: are not called on to handle their business, it will go over their heads, and especially if they think that they've already done something, number one, there was this general statement that was made that did not help.
12:22.108 --> 12:37.789
[SPEAKER_00]: Number two, there was the assumption on behalf of the person who had attempted to remedy the problem, to assume that everyone already knew that they had
12:38.309 --> 12:53.898
[SPEAKER_00]: And it could have been easily one of those situations where someone felt like they were called out, like they were being blamed for something, but it was simply a question, hey, can someone tell me who is responsible for this particular department?
12:54.540 --> 12:55.882
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, you can't hide from that.
12:56.183 --> 13:00.030
[SPEAKER_00]: And it was not a situation where we wanted to try to place blame on someone.
13:00.010 --> 13:17.070
[SPEAKER_00]: But what we were trying to do was prevent a situation where we would not be able to plan appropriately down the road because a problem did not get fixed because we were not willing to address the person who was actually responsible for.
13:17.130 --> 13:21.055
[SPEAKER_00]: Doesn't matter that there are almost a dozen people in the scenario.
13:21.335 --> 13:28.363
[SPEAKER_00]: There's a way for you to address a situation without pointing blame and without making people feel
13:28.343 --> 13:37.956
[SPEAKER_00]: And in that real time situation, we were able to exit that call with the plan of action and prepare for what we were going to do next.
13:38.437 --> 13:41.060
[SPEAKER_00]: And that's really what it is that you're trying to attain.
13:41.641 --> 13:49.151
[SPEAKER_00]: Because again, you have to be specific in what you say and target it in your scope.
13:50.613 --> 13:52.596
[SPEAKER_00]: In any situation that arises,
13:53.133 --> 13:59.149
[SPEAKER_00]: when you're having conversations with people, you don't want to take for granted that they understand what you're saying.
14:00.192 --> 14:06.990
[SPEAKER_00]: Even if you have similar backgrounds, even if you have similar education, it doesn't matter.
14:08.168 --> 14:11.997
[SPEAKER_00]: There's always room for things to go awry.
14:12.037 --> 14:18.412
[SPEAKER_00]: And so what you want to do is you want to be intentional in your communication efforts.
14:18.432 --> 14:20.356
[SPEAKER_00]: So what will you do to get communication right?
14:21.138 --> 14:26.430
[SPEAKER_00]: I shared with you some real life examples, and these may not be too far off from what you're experiencing.
14:26.410 --> 14:31.637
[SPEAKER_00]: Because, remember, it's not about calling people out or trying to make people look bad.
14:32.057 --> 14:37.565
[SPEAKER_00]: It's about sharing information with them that is going to help all of you achieve the goal.
14:38.386 --> 14:45.876
[SPEAKER_00]: So you first have to understand what it is that you need, what those deliverables should be, the outcomes, how they should look, the timelines.
14:46.596 --> 14:50.562
[SPEAKER_00]: And you take those opportunities to convey that information.
14:51.483 --> 14:55.388
[SPEAKER_00]: It will help you, it will help your team, people will feel supported,
14:55.368 --> 15:05.661
[SPEAKER_00]: and they will recognize that they can come to you and they can talk to you to get clear and effective information, okay?
15:05.681 --> 15:07.242
[SPEAKER_00]: So I appreciate that you're listening.
15:07.883 --> 15:19.738
[SPEAKER_00]: And if you're looking for some brief and reflective insights that go beyond the podcast to keep us connected, then sign up for the catalyst newsletter, crossroads and catalyst.com slash newsletter.
15:20.298 --> 15:23.282
[SPEAKER_00]: And I will leave the link in the show notes.
15:23.262 --> 15:35.601
[SPEAKER_00]: So, until next time, be thoughtful, be wise, be strategic, and remember, crossroads reveal who you are, catalysts shape who you become, every decision matters, so make it count.
00:01.111 --> 00:10.359
[SPEAKER_00]: I was on a flight, and what I witnessed was a perfect example of how easily communication breaks down, and exactly what it looks like when we get it right.
00:10.880 --> 00:11.641
[SPEAKER_00]: So stay with me.
00:16.905 --> 00:20.549
[SPEAKER_00]: Welcome to Crossroads in Catalyst, the podcast with Cheneetabee, I am your host.
00:20.989 --> 00:28.536
[SPEAKER_00]: This is where we discuss how a thoughtful, wise, and strategic perspective at a crossroads can be the catalyst for change in your leadership and career.
00:29.444 --> 00:36.338
[SPEAKER_00]: Now everyone says that communication is the key to great relationships, whether you're at work or at home, or just in general, right?
00:37.080 --> 00:39.865
[SPEAKER_00]: So then why do we lose the key right when we need it the most?
00:40.567 --> 00:43.613
[SPEAKER_00]: Today we're going to be breaking down the communication breakdown.
00:44.335 --> 00:48.904
[SPEAKER_00]: But before I do that, I want to communicate to you several ways that you can support the show.
00:48.884 --> 00:53.829
[SPEAKER_00]: Whether you're listening in an apple or Spotify, hit the follow button so that you don't miss an episode.
00:53.990 --> 00:57.754
[SPEAKER_00]: And of course, you can always do this at my website crossroads in catalyst.com.
00:58.254 --> 01:07.464
[SPEAKER_00]: The other thing that you can do is you can share it with a friend or two, because just like you are seeking resources to assist you with your leadership journey, your friends and colleagues are as well.
01:08.125 --> 01:12.790
[SPEAKER_00]: And the other thing that you can do is if you find value in this content, then buy me a coffee.
01:13.291 --> 01:14.672
[SPEAKER_00]: The link is in the show notes.
01:15.614 --> 01:31.125
[SPEAKER_00]: So I think we all know that there's verbal and nonverbal communication and we recognize that things can go down really quickly because the verbal and the nonverbal Extremely important, but those nonverbal cues, yeah, they say a lot.
01:31.105 --> 01:37.800
[SPEAKER_00]: and even when the message is benign or seemingly very direct, it can still be taken the wrong way.
01:38.562 --> 01:44.154
[SPEAKER_00]: And I can say with certainty that everyone has been burned by bad communication.
01:44.615 --> 01:47.983
[SPEAKER_00]: And it may not have even started out as bad communication.
01:48.301 --> 02:01.678
[SPEAKER_00]: And part of the reason why I think this is is because inherent to communication is an expectation that when we say something to one another, that we will understand the meaning because words have meaning.
02:02.379 --> 02:09.728
[SPEAKER_00]: But when you start talking about different languages and cultures, okay, that's gonna change it.
02:09.748 --> 02:17.278
[SPEAKER_00]: But we take for granted that because we have these things in common that the message will automatically be received.
02:17.258 --> 02:35.453
[SPEAKER_00]: and even aptitude is going to play a role in this, and of course there are definitely other factors because I didn't even mention mental and physical health or even attitude, all of which are going to influence what we take away from any type of interaction with someone.
02:36.091 --> 02:55.291
[SPEAKER_00]: And let's not forget timing, have you ever received a text message when you were in a hurry and you completely misconstrued what was being said and not to mention being in a bad mood, your mood can completely impact what you walk away with from some type of message.
02:56.112 --> 03:00.597
[SPEAKER_00]: And so if you can relate to that thing, you've just proven my point because we've all been there.
03:00.577 --> 03:06.945
[SPEAKER_00]: And if you didn't know, clear and direct communication is not always received clearly nor taken directly.
03:07.726 --> 03:13.935
[SPEAKER_00]: And this is what leads me to the example of a flight that I was on from Boston's Logan International Airport.
03:14.696 --> 03:17.780
[SPEAKER_00]: Now this flight, it departed late, which is not uncommon, right?
03:17.840 --> 03:21.184
[SPEAKER_00]: We kind of recognize that
03:21.164 --> 03:23.108
[SPEAKER_00]: fly to not always going to leave on time.
03:23.609 --> 03:25.733
[SPEAKER_00]: And this flight was late by almost an hour.
03:25.813 --> 03:29.079
[SPEAKER_00]: So as you can imagine, people's cortisol levels were high.
03:29.119 --> 03:31.002
[SPEAKER_00]: They were frustrated.
03:31.023 --> 03:35.511
[SPEAKER_00]: They were just anxiety-ridden to say the least.
03:36.272 --> 03:44.067
[SPEAKER_00]: Especially with the delay that's significant because if you had a short layover wealth, of course you already know, you just don't know what's going to happen.
03:44.047 --> 04:01.313
[SPEAKER_00]: So, as we were preparing to Deplane, the seat belt sign went off, but before that, the flight attendant made an announcement and asked, hey, if you do not have a connecting flight, if you can please keep the aisles clear, that would be helpful too.
04:01.293 --> 04:05.202
[SPEAKER_00]: our passengers who need to get to their next flight.
04:06.064 --> 04:06.305
[SPEAKER_00]: Great.
04:07.247 --> 04:10.795
[SPEAKER_00]: Should have been just as easy for everybody to understand that.
04:11.497 --> 04:14.965
[SPEAKER_00]: There are a lot of assumptions with these things too, right?
04:16.008 --> 04:21.980
[SPEAKER_00]: So as you can imagine, people started filing into the aisle.
04:22.581 --> 04:26.650
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, there was one particular situation that was taking place just a few rows ahead of me.
04:27.451 --> 04:33.303
[SPEAKER_00]: And a passenger noticed that another lady had started blocking the aisle.
04:34.005 --> 04:37.712
[SPEAKER_00]: And so she indicated, she sat to her directly,
04:37.692 --> 04:40.956
[SPEAKER_00]: Hey, they have connecting flights.
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[SPEAKER_00]: That was all she said.
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[SPEAKER_00]: They have connecting flights to which this other passenger passenger be said, well, I didn't know.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And this is the first time I flown in a long time.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Those were her exact words.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And she continued to block the aisle.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So then the other passengers
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[SPEAKER_00]: repeated the sentiment of passenger A and passenger one maintained her position.
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[SPEAKER_00]: She didn't move.
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[SPEAKER_00]: She didn't show any concern.
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[SPEAKER_00]: She just completely disregarded the statement that passenger A made to her.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So then what we have here is a failure to communicate.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Okay, because despite the attempts
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[SPEAKER_00]: Well, no one actually asked her to move.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And because she lacked a sense of urgency, and she basically just regarded everything that everyone sat around her, didn't matter to her that there were passengers who had connecting flights.
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[SPEAKER_00]: She wanted to get off the plane as well.
05:43.958 --> 05:50.106
[SPEAKER_00]: So then, how do you address a problem like this?
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[SPEAKER_00]: Well, this was one of those situations where a lot of things could have contributed to the lack of understanding or the disregard that this woman demonstrated.
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[SPEAKER_00]: She may not have even heard the announcement of the flight attendant to please not block the aisle if you don't have a connecting flight.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Because if you've been on a plane, you know that it is not easy to hear those announcements that are being made on the intercom system.
06:15.044 --> 06:28.738
[SPEAKER_00]: Okay, so then the fact that the woman said something to her, well, this woman didn't have any any stake in that issue, she was not she didn't she was not going to miss her flight.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So what difference did it make to her?
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[SPEAKER_00]: The point is, again, because there was no one who said, do you mind moving out of the aisle so that these passengers can get to their flights if they don't get there?
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[SPEAKER_00]: They may miss their flights, who knows if it even would have happened that way?
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[SPEAKER_00]: we don't know.
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[SPEAKER_00]: But my point is, is there was an opportunity to communicate more clearly and effectively to this passenger and everyone missed it.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And instead what people started doing, they started dropping F-bombs, they started mumbling and muttering under their breath, all kinds of things that
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[SPEAKER_00]: The woman didn't move and she continued on and so people who were going to potentially miss their flights.
07:18.587 --> 07:29.854
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, they were just going to have to wait to get off right after she got off because she was staking her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her, her
07:31.825 --> 07:32.165
[SPEAKER_00]: cut.
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[SPEAKER_00]: She was putting her stake in the ground on that issue, which unfortunately just kind of demonstrated that maybe she was a bit rude and inconsiderate, but the fact remains that there was an expectation placed on her and no one actually spelled out to her what they wanted her to do and ask her if she would follow through on that.
07:57.340 --> 08:02.710
[SPEAKER_00]: So applying pressure was not going to help, and so that's another thing, right?
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[SPEAKER_00]: Applying peer pressure in a situation like that is not going to help people who have already determined that they have no desire to assist in any way.
08:13.169 --> 08:17.313
[SPEAKER_00]: So, how do you relate this to your team?
08:17.393 --> 08:23.199
[SPEAKER_00]: Because in this particular situation, we had a lack of effective communication.
08:23.720 --> 08:29.286
[SPEAKER_00]: We had a lack of urgency and a lack of situational awareness.
08:30.227 --> 08:40.037
[SPEAKER_00]: And this is a combination that we do not want to encounter, partly because when you're trying to convey information,
08:40.017 --> 09:00.625
[SPEAKER_00]: you want it to be received and understood and carried out and you can't do that if the people who are receiving that information do not care, do not understand or do not see that there's an urgent situation that requires their attention.
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[SPEAKER_00]: What's the point?
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[SPEAKER_00]: And so this is what I want to say to you is as you consider how you communicate with others, your personality, your attitude, how you've already interacted with historical precedent.
09:20.095 --> 09:32.319
[SPEAKER_00]: What is your team going to walk away with when they interact with you because this story only highlights the need to be specific and what you say and target it in your scope.
09:33.141 --> 09:34.864
[SPEAKER_00]: Okay, so you have to.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Outline, especially understanding who your audience is.
09:39.144 --> 09:44.073
[SPEAKER_00]: If you don't know your audience, it's going to be a challenge for you to tailor your message to them.
09:45.055 --> 09:53.970
[SPEAKER_00]: And I want us to be clear on what this is supposed to look like, because it's not always going to be comfortable, especially if you're in a group setting.
09:54.411 --> 10:00.261
[SPEAKER_00]: And for those of you who are introverts, it's not going to matter if you're in a group setting or if you're one on one,
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[SPEAKER_00]: it is uncomfortable for you to have a conversation and communicate certain pieces of information.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And so let me give you an example because I remember I was on a call with about a dozen people and we were discussing some financial transactions just trying to understand what took place throughout the period and call out some specific items and there was a consistent posting error
10:25.132 --> 10:36.323
[SPEAKER_00]: That was problematic and it gone on for quite some time and to allow this issue to continue, it might have impact for.
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[SPEAKER_00]: financial planning purposes.
10:38.763 --> 10:39.183
[SPEAKER_00]: How about that?
10:40.525 --> 10:48.898
[SPEAKER_00]: And while the leader of this particular meeting was making these general statements saying things like, well, we have to get these types of things fixed.
10:48.918 --> 10:51.261
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, we have almost a dozen people on this call.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Somebody on this call has to be responsible to get this fixed.
10:55.167 --> 11:01.016
[SPEAKER_00]: And I'm listening and no one is speaking up saying, oh, well, I've addressed this or this is what I've done.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Nothing.
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[SPEAKER_00]: It was, you could hear crickets apart from this guy.
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[SPEAKER_00]: telling them, hey, this is an issue we need to get it fixed.
11:08.289 --> 11:18.793
[SPEAKER_00]: So I just jumped in and I just asked, okay, so is there, is there someone on the call who has the responsibility for this department?
11:19.995 --> 11:22.020
[SPEAKER_00]: And I waited and they spoke up.
11:22.574 --> 11:27.361
[SPEAKER_00]: I said, okay, can you tell me, have you opened a ticket?
11:27.942 --> 11:35.855
[SPEAKER_00]: And so they began to explain the steps that they had gone through to try to address this issue and it did not get resolved.
11:35.875 --> 11:39.721
[SPEAKER_00]: And I said, okay, hey, do you mind opening another ticket?
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[SPEAKER_00]: And this particular leader, can you provide the supporting documentation to show that this problem is not fixed?
11:47.112 --> 11:50.758
[SPEAKER_00]: And then maybe this time, we can connect and have a meeting
11:50.738 --> 11:57.633
[SPEAKER_00]: So that we can walk through why this is still an issue to help them figure out what they need to do to get it fixed.
11:58.715 --> 12:06.773
[SPEAKER_00]: And so in the midst of that, that was a real time example of how you communicate effectively because again, when people
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[SPEAKER_00]: are not called on to handle their business, it will go over their heads, and especially if they think that they've already done something, number one, there was this general statement that was made that did not help.
12:22.108 --> 12:37.789
[SPEAKER_00]: Number two, there was the assumption on behalf of the person who had attempted to remedy the problem, to assume that everyone already knew that they had
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[SPEAKER_00]: And it could have been easily one of those situations where someone felt like they were called out, like they were being blamed for something, but it was simply a question, hey, can someone tell me who is responsible for this particular department?
12:54.540 --> 12:55.882
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, you can't hide from that.
12:56.183 --> 13:00.030
[SPEAKER_00]: And it was not a situation where we wanted to try to place blame on someone.
13:00.010 --> 13:17.070
[SPEAKER_00]: But what we were trying to do was prevent a situation where we would not be able to plan appropriately down the road because a problem did not get fixed because we were not willing to address the person who was actually responsible for.
13:17.130 --> 13:21.055
[SPEAKER_00]: Doesn't matter that there are almost a dozen people in the scenario.
13:21.335 --> 13:28.363
[SPEAKER_00]: There's a way for you to address a situation without pointing blame and without making people feel
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[SPEAKER_00]: And in that real time situation, we were able to exit that call with the plan of action and prepare for what we were going to do next.
13:38.437 --> 13:41.060
[SPEAKER_00]: And that's really what it is that you're trying to attain.
13:41.641 --> 13:49.151
[SPEAKER_00]: Because again, you have to be specific in what you say and target it in your scope.
13:50.613 --> 13:52.596
[SPEAKER_00]: In any situation that arises,
13:53.133 --> 13:59.149
[SPEAKER_00]: when you're having conversations with people, you don't want to take for granted that they understand what you're saying.
14:00.192 --> 14:06.990
[SPEAKER_00]: Even if you have similar backgrounds, even if you have similar education, it doesn't matter.
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[SPEAKER_00]: There's always room for things to go awry.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And so what you want to do is you want to be intentional in your communication efforts.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So what will you do to get communication right?
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[SPEAKER_00]: I shared with you some real life examples, and these may not be too far off from what you're experiencing.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Because, remember, it's not about calling people out or trying to make people look bad.
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[SPEAKER_00]: It's about sharing information with them that is going to help all of you achieve the goal.
14:38.386 --> 14:45.876
[SPEAKER_00]: So you first have to understand what it is that you need, what those deliverables should be, the outcomes, how they should look, the timelines.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And you take those opportunities to convey that information.
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[SPEAKER_00]: It will help you, it will help your team, people will feel supported,
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[SPEAKER_00]: and they will recognize that they can come to you and they can talk to you to get clear and effective information, okay?
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[SPEAKER_00]: So I appreciate that you're listening.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And if you're looking for some brief and reflective insights that go beyond the podcast to keep us connected, then sign up for the catalyst newsletter, crossroads and catalyst.com slash newsletter.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And I will leave the link in the show notes.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So, until next time, be thoughtful, be wise, be strategic, and remember, crossroads reveal who you are, catalysts shape who you become, every decision matters, so make it count.