Exact Instructions

A couple of months ago, my dear colleague mentioned the 'Exact Instructions Challenge'—where kids describe in detail how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and someone else follows their instructions exactly.

I looked up one example and the results are hilarious: containers of jelly smeared directly on slices of bread, knives thrown handle-first into jars of peanut butter…

Beyond the laughs it was revealing: highlighting the assumptions we make in daily well-meaning interactions with one another.

This is particularly consequential in business contexts where the fear of 'looking uninformed' might inhibit follow up questions and our  jargon/ lexicon might create barriers to understanding with others who can’t decode our internal ciphers

Empathy is one of the #FiveIndicatorsofLove - its foundation is in truly understanding that people have a completely different paradigm than you do.

They may have a different starting point, different frame of reference, make different assumptions, flow through different thought patterns, may arrive at different conclusions than you do.

There are moments - particularly when you're actively leading people - be it  your colleagues, customers, investors, team, audience or others from Point A to Point B - where it's especially important to take on what some call the "beginner's mind" - the ability to step outside your expertise and see your message through the eyes of someone encountering it for the first time.

What can we do:
✅ Question our assumptions about what's "obvious"
✅ Test instructions, messaging, and processes with fresh eyes
✅ Invite questions as a sign of engagement - not failure

You may instinctively know how to make a Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich, but it's another thing entirely to enable someone who doesn't know where to begin, to successfully make one.

How might misalignment be costing you engagement, trust, or results? We can chat: 🗒️ https://lnkd.in/e2ZP5rye

#loveasakpi