Wait… That’s Not What We Meant 🤦♂️
A (very) common scenario
Today: Ana Fer shares a lessons-learned story on why clarity matters
Has something like this ever happened to you?
Maybe you had a solid idea, but when you explained it, people didn’t quite get it
Maybe you saw a big opportunity, but struggled to make others see it too
Or maybe you got lost in details, and by the end, no one was sure what you needed
I’ve been there.
A few years ago I had the opportunity to be part of the team that would lead one of Astrolab's largest projects up to that point.
Plus, it was the largest project I had been part of so far.
Martha, a manager from an international retail company with operations in Monterrey with which we had already worked in the past, reached out to us for help to craft a Change Narrative for their digital transformation.
At that time, Astrolab was venturing into a world almost unknown to us: that of behavioral sciences and change management (the fate of these topics in Astrolab is a whole other story for another time).
We had nearly a decade of experience using storytelling as a communication tool, but this was our first opportunity to try to change people's beliefs and behaviors.
Our initial project proposal, filled with scientific theory and detailed descriptions, impressed Martha. However, we were unaware that this was just the beginning of countless discussions to resolve misunderstandings and iterate on the next steps as the project progressed.
We realized —quickly, and at the same time, too late— that our proposal had not been communicated clearly enough, and that our ideas had remained very abstract and theoretical, rather than practical and actionable.
Therefore, Martha and her team had interpreted something different from what we proposed and had expectations that we weren't going to meet.
Now, to be fair, it wasn’t their fault: we had failed in explaining things in a precise, simple and brief way.
This resulted in two things:
Months of time invested in activities and work were perceived by the client as having very little value, and
A bruised ego for the Astrolab team for having failed on such a high-stakes project with a very important client
In the business world, misunderstandings or miscommunications can have costly consequences in terms of time, money, resources, and, perhaps most importantly, your reputation and credibility.
Here’s the truth: clarity is a career superpower. The better you communicate, the faster you grow.
Here it is again, just to be clear: clarity matters.
This is why Astrolab is launching Let’s Be Clear, a workshop designed to help professionals like you speak simply, precisely, and briefly with managers, clients and other stakeholders.
Let’s Be Clear is a 3-session, live virtual workshop that will help you stand out and become a key player at work.
There are only a few places left at a special introductory price! Don't miss the opportunity to become the most confident, assertive and powerful version of yourself and unlock unique opportunities at work.
If you have any questions, please reply to this email and we'll reach out to you as soon as we can. We'd love to see you in two weeks as part of the first cohort!
Join business leaders from companies such as Lego, Bayer, Amway, PepsiCo, VivaAerobus, and alumni from top business schools like Wharton, NYU and Chicago Booth in this first-ever version of Let’s be Clear.
The first one hundred seats are almost filled in, and after that, the price will increase.
Hello 👋🏼! I’m Ana Fer. I’ve been at Astrolab for more than seven years, and I wrote today’s INFLUX 🪐. Connect with me on LinkedIn.
