Sometimes I try to look at my company through the eyes of someone who works there, rather than through the eyes of the person who runs it. It’s not a particularly pleasant exercise, but it can be useful, especially when you manage to be hard enough on yourself.
For me, a particular decision is perfectly clear because I’ve been thinking about it for several days. In my head I’ve already run through the options, talked to people, looked at the numbers, and grown comfortable with the new direction. Then I share all this with someone hearing the story for the first time, and I’m surprised when it isn’t obvious to them.
It’s easy to forget one simple thing: what has been a long process for me is just new information for them.
To me, the change makes sense because I know what led up to it. To them, it might seem like we were saying one thing yesterday, but today we’re doing something completely different. To me, it’s urgent because I know what’s behind it and what will happen if we don’t resolve it in time. To them, it’s just another item suddenly labeled urgent.
A business owner has one unusual privilege—and sometimes a serious problem: in their own mind, they always know the full context. Other people don’t.
It took me a while to truly understand this. It’s not enough to tell people what they need to do and expect them to see the picture you’ve been carrying in your head for days. Good intentions aren’t enough either, because good intentions don’t clear up confusion.
Sometimes the owner is the one who creates the chaos they later complain about.
They shift priorities without explaining what changed in the meantime. They demand speed but haven’t shared enough information. They insist on autonomy, then micromanage every detail. They tell people to take responsibility, then leave them no room to decide.
I’ve done that, too. I probably still do it sometimes.
That’s why, from time to time, it helps me to mentally move from my chair to the one across the desk. I imagine what a workday looks like for the person who came to work that morning and is trying to figure out what this manager actually wants from them.
Suddenly, what seemed obvious is no longer so.
Perhaps that’s a good test for anyone who leads people: not how their decisions look to them, but how understandable they are to those who have to carry them out.
If I were working at my own company today, I’m sure I’d have a few comments for the director. I’m not sure I’d always give them the highest rating.
But at least I know where their office is.
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