One of the most interesting and provocative leadership training exercises I have facilitated over the years is one I call The Mousetrap Maze. You set it up pretty much exactly the way it sounds, loaded mousetraps are set randomly on the floor in a large defined space. On one side of the line are several pairs of teammates who will be competing to see who can get their partner over the finish line first without setting off any of the mousetraps. (This exercise obviously requires close-toed shoes!) One person in each partnership stands behind the line to give directions to their player once they enter the field, but here’s the kicker—the players in the maze are blindfolded! That’s right. They cannot see where the dangerous obstacles, ready to snap at their vulnerable toes, are located. They must rely solely on their interpretation of their partner’s instructions in order to avoid the landmines and win the race.
The exercise reveals the responsibilities of the giver and the receiver in communication as well as what navigating a workplace blindfolded feels like. In other words, without clarity about where we are headed, why it is important, what the priorities are, and who is responsible for what, employees are navigating a dangerous maze while blindfolded.
Remember this: Clarity is professional kindness. Confusion, especially when followed by disappointment when your team doesn’t perform or succeed, is professional cruelty.
Are you forcing your team to navigate a workplace maze while blindfolded? You are if you haven’t created clarity for them and do not check that they remain clear as their work unfolds. If you don’t clearly explain the vision, values, cultural standards, tasks, deadlines, expectations, priorities, and responsibilities, your team is working in confusion, and therefore handicapped. In the vacuum of your clarity and vision, they simply fill in their own. They will come to work and just hope for the best and do the best they can.
And worse, team accountability and individual accountability (which every leader tells me they want from their team) becomes a game of hot potato—no one wants to be left holding it! The antidote is clear communication, encouraging your team to ask questions and to expect clarity from you. Consistent and competent communication creates the perfect environment for accountability, delegation, and success to thrive.
At LionSpeak, we are passionate about helping owners, leaders, and managers to first create this clarity for themselves and then to communicate well and offer it to their team. It’s like watching the clouds part and the sun shine for the team because now they can see clearly into a successful future.
Call us today if you’d like to help your team thrive like never before and watch them, and your business, thrive.
“Many people think they lack motivation when what they really lack is clarity.”
~ James Clear
