30/09/2025
The Death of the Obvious
"Can you do this ASAP?". For you, ASAP might mean within two hours. For your team member, it could mean by end of day. For another, by end of week. Here's the uncomfortable truth: The "obvious" is dead, or at least, it should be.
We each operate from our own reality, shaped by our experiences, values, and contexts. What's crystal clear to you might be completely opaque to someone else. And this gap, this assumption that others see what we see, is where miscommunication, missed deadlines, and frustration live.
The real challenge for leaders isn't just about giving instructions. It's about recognizing that objective reality is irrelevant when it comes to human collaboration. What matters is bridging the space between different subjective realities.
So what can we do?
Before delegating that next project or setting those team goals, ask yourself:
"What assumptions am I making right now?"
"What does 'success' actually look like in concrete terms?"
"What would someone need to know that I'm taking for granted?"
The best leaders don't assume alignment. Τhey create it, one clarifying question at a time.
What's "obvious" to you that might not be obvious to your team?
At Apodosis Coaching Services, we help leaders navigate the complex terrain of human understanding, transforming assumptions into clarity and confusion into alignment.