For the past few weeks, I’ve talked about three lenses that go into my “magic kaleidoscope” and the kinds of diagnostic questions it helps resolve. Today, we’re diving in to making adjustments through the Lens of Communication and Visibility.
Communication and Visibility is a two-way street. We are always broadcasting and receiving across the five senses. For me, the real issue is whether the things I think I’m saying are the things people are actually hearing. Do I think I’m a gentle, sweet, affectionate soul…and others see me giving them the middle finger?
How is my choice of words and phrases affecting how people are hearing me? And how is my choice of words and phrases affecting how I hear myself?
What does the way I dress and carry myself convey to other people? Does my body language, posture, physical contact, hand gestures, etc. align with the rest of my messaging?
When I ask someone to tell me, “My experience of you is ______,” how do they complete that sentence? And does their experience of me align with what I think I’m broadcasting?
There’s another nuance to the Visibility in broadcasting and receiving Communications, and it’s around gauges rather than experiences…around facts rather than opinions.
There was a company who faltered in onboarding the right people. They had lots of loud, blaring warning signs that things were heading in the wrong direction. Lots of Communications were happening by people who cared. But despite all the Communications, the leadership of the company never felt they had Visibility into the situation…because the loud, blaring Communications were all screaming their own opinion of the situation. Nobody who clearly saw the problem ever articulated it in terms of facts. It was always delivered as a personal opinion of those facts.
Gauges deliver facts. The gas gauge in my car indicates how much fuel is in the tank. When I hit 1/32nd of a tank, the gauge doesn’t go into story mode and start talking about how stupid and utterly incompetent I must be as a driver for me to allow my fuel situation to get this dire. No. It simply sits there delivering the facts as my car sputters and stalls out on the side of the road.
That’s not to say that opinions are bad. Opinions are facts colored by perspective. And they can be immensely powerful…when used appropriately.
As you go about your day…broadcasting and receiving…how can a slight twist in the Lens of Communication and Visibility help you paint a beautiful vision of the future?
