Radio Waves
I had one of those rare and pleasant moments recently when I was able to just sit in the peace and quiet of my home and read a few pages in a good book. My family was out, leaving me alone without any distractions. During a pause between chapters I checked my phone for messages (a learned habit I am afraid). I had indeed received a couple of texts and had not noticed as the sound on my phone had been turned off earlier. Where I thought that it was quiet, and that nobody was trying to communicate with me, they actually were.
It’s true, that even when we think that all is quiet and that there are not any signals coming in, there actually is. We are constantly being bombarded with invisible signals. At any single moment we are surrounded by electromagnetic waves of all sorts, being generated for radio, television, police, fire, data transmission, phone conversations, text data, and the list goes on. Some scientists have gone so far as to speculate these signals are so pervasive that they are responsible for the diminished number of honey bees in the world. The electromagnetic waves are invisible to us, unless we have a receiver tuned such that they are converted to a frequency range and amplitude that we can perceive.
Leaders should be aware that there are signals being generated around us all the time as we go about the business at hand. A good leader lives by the philosophy of meeting their people where they are at. It is not enough to simply spell out the latest mission to our charges, to cast a vision and then stand back as those we are responsible to lead go about the tasks of execution. We must meet people where they are at, mentally, emotionally, culturally and collectively. A leader should not just think that people will simply come up to their standards of expectations, no questions asked. Instead, you must understand where your team is at, and from there help lead them to the successful execution of the mission.
This is why great leaders know they must take the time to get as close to the point of action as they can, as often as possible. It is only from that vantage point that one can develop their knowledge in context and are able to understand the nuances of the situation and the team. It is difficult, if not impossible to discern the actual emotional state of team members from a conference call. It is only by spending time with the team at the point of action that you can tune in to “receive” the invisible communications, be they a fiery glint of determination in the eye of one, a knowing nod of confidence in another, or a deep wrinkle of doubt and despair on the forehead of yet another. Leaders need meet their people where they are at, and learn to listen. Remember often times the loudest communications are often unspoken.
Stay Strong,
Terry
