Wrong Signals
A few weeks ago, I was on a business trip.
One of my employees, who also happens to be one of my sons, had been working on a big project. I texted him for an update.
He told me he was waiting on one last piece and would have it to me the next day.
I meant to send a thumbs up.
I sent a thumbs down.
Then I walked into a lunch with clients
and didn’t check my phone for two hours.
Two hours where a single tap said something
I never intended to say.
I didn’t say a word.
Still communicated a message.
That made me think…
We assume communication is about what we mean.
It’s not.
It’s about what lands.
Intent lives with the sender.
Impact lives with the receiver.
And the gap between those two
is where most tension shows up.
I’ve read messages wrong.
Filled in tone that wasn’t there.
Assigned meaning that was never intended.
And I’ve done the same thing to others
without realizing it.
One careless moment.
One unchecked assumption.
That’s all it takes.
That was enough to reset how I approach it.
Slow down before I send.
Be clear when it matters.
And when something feels off coming my way,
pause before I decide what it meant.
Not everything needs a reaction.
Some things need a second look.
Because not every thumbs down
is actually a thumbs down.
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