I want you to imagine, for a minute, that you’re on a plane at 35,000 feet, flying to your destination. You’re sitting there in 27B watching The Hangover for the seventh time on your iPhone, eating a stale egg salad sandwich, drinking a free can of Pepsi with ice, and your seat belt is off.
You’re assuming it’s getting close to time to put your tray back and get rid of your garbage, but you’re not exactly sure what the clock says because you can’t miss a laugh in your movie.
Then, out of nowhere, the pilot just nosedives the plane into the pending runway, your drink goes flying, ice everywhere, and chaos ensues.
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The pilot failed to communicate to the flight staff and the passengers that they were going to make a quick landing and that they were worried about being late for a hot date, so they put the bird on the ground.
You land. Everyone is sick to their stomachs, panicked, crying, and freaked the fuck out at what just happened.
Then calmly, the pilot gets the plane to the gate, comes across the speaker and says, “This is your Captain speaking, I want to thank you for flying with us today, and we hope you enjoy your time here in whatever fucking city we just landed in, have a wonderful day.”
The entire plane is confused, angry, mad, and frustrated.
Meanwhile, the pilot is exiting the plane with his bag, whistling and proud of himself for landing the bird safely at the gate.
If this scene feels familiar, it’s because you’ve dealt with it in your career before, and you can put your finger on the exact moment you felt the level of frustration that sent you over the edge.
It all comes down to one simple trait: the ability to communicate.
“If you can’t communicate in life and in business, you will lose. End of story.”
You will frustrate the fuck out of the people around you. You will burn people out who feel like they are always behind your thoughts and ideas. You will wonder why people are failing around you, and you will likely create barriers in the meantime.
The best leaders I’ve worked for were rarely the smartest person in the room. They weren’t always the most experienced, the most technical, or the most talented either. What they did exceptionally well was keep everyone informed. You knew where the company was headed, why decisions were being made, what success looked like, and where you fit into the equation. That clarity created trust, even during difficult moments.
Communication isn’t about talking more. It’s about creating alignment. It’s about making sure the people around you understand the destination, the obstacles ahead, the expectations placed upon them, and the role they play in reaching the goal. A team that understands the mission can overcome almost any challenge. A team left guessing eventually creates its own version of the story.
Every relationship in your life operates under the same rules. Your spouse wants communication. Your children want communication. Your friends, customers, employees, and colleagues all want communication. Most frustration arises from the gap between what one person knows and what another wishes they knew. The larger the gap becomes, the more trust erodes.
The next time you’re wondering why people seem frustrated, disconnected, confused, or resistant, take a hard look at how you’re communicating. The problem may have nothing to do with effort, talent, intelligence, or motivation. Sometimes people simply need the pilot to tell them the plane is about to land.