Many years ago, I agreed to take my young daughters paintballing in the Tokai Forest, Cape Town. We were split into two teams and briefed about the rules of the game. The winner would be the team that rescued the flag. It was immediately clear to me that the simple, winning strategy would be to catch the other team off guard by running flat out for the flag, with my daughters covering me, like they do in the movies.

I set off at a high pace as soon as the whistle blew and to my surprise was immediately shot in the back – by my team. They then gleefully shot me every time I tried to get up, effectively pinning me to the ground for the full session.

What happened? I had forgotten to tell them about my grand plan or discuss my strategy and had just assumed as the mother, I was the leader. What an “Aha” moment that was and gave me insight into some pretty big holes in my leadership style!

I use this incident to remind me of the importance of ensuring alignment among team members before any launching a task or project! A few minutes spent agreeing on the purpose and clarifying intentions upfront saves time and money. It also helps eliminates the frustrations of false starts and potentially damaging misunderstandings.

Wishing you a fabulous week ahead – remember to communicate with your team or they might unintentionally hinder your efforts in the most unexpected ways!

Kind regards

Catherine