'Tis the season for late indicators
Tuesday, December 23, 2014 at 2:03PM As we get all rush-rush on the roads in the last few days before Christmas and holiday seasons, I notice something: 'tis the season for late indicators.
Indicators, turning lights, flickers, flashers - those flashing lights on your vehicle that legally communicate your intentions to turn, slow, stop, move, shift, deviate.
Cars crawling through car parks in search of a parking space. Drivers slowing, stopping, changing their minds, speeding up, and then turning on streets, can add to the tension.
Some of the fundamentals of driving start to slip a little. Like indicating early to the drivers and pedestrians around you what your intentions are. The sooner you can indicate what you're thinking, the better. Although not SO early that you're confusing people.
Same goes for the strategy of a team or organisation.
Working with a Head of Strategy in a financial services business recentl, he said : 'we need to communicate our intentions and strategic plan early, but not so early that people aren't interested or connected with it'.
If you've experienced that feeling of "we don't know what's going on around here", you know you need some earlier 'indicating' from and with the teams you're working with.
In crisis public relations the mantra is 'communicate early and often'.
But when there's no crisis, just... communicate. Signal your intention. Let your team know what you're thinking, what you're wanting to do, where you're wanting to get to.
Tensions rise when uncertainty is high. Lower the tension and deliver some certainty by indicating what's on the slate, what's up ahead, what's yet to come.
It's better to indicate, slow down, stop, wait, reset and then begin again with certainty of where things are going than to be meandering along creating road rage!
With your strategy in 2015, communicate it early, clearly and succinctly. Indicate and the journey will be smoother.