4 min read

All Aboard!

Jul 14, 2017 6:30:00 AM

Train on BridgeMy brother Jon has meticulously planned the trip of a lifetime for us. It’s a “coming of age” experience for his son and my two boys. Two forty-something brothers and their three teenage sons.

Where we’re going, the living standards are definitely not on par with the United States. Therefore, we’ll be on a combination of planes, trains, and automobiles being flown, conducted, and steered by outfits that aren’t regularly reviewed on Yelp or TripAdvisor.

We’ll be on the move, traveling light, and staying in hotels, lodges, camps, and personal residences. He assures me that at worst it will be “gentleman’s camping” and I’ll "survive."

Jon spent hours and hours putting this together over the past year, right down to our daily itinerary, paid guides, and preparations. He used his first-hand experiences and knowledge, having done similar trips in the past. For new activities and locations, he consulted his network and found experts to hire.

Along the way, he kept me in the loop and got my buy-in, literally. After all, it was one thing for him to convince my sons to go on a great adventure with Uncle Jon, but quite another to get their father to make the necessary contributions. He tailored his message to these two audiences - me and the boys, all the while moving us toward his vision for our adventure.

He also created small milestones leading up to the trip. Some required payments, which of course equals commitment, while others were videos and blogs to spur excitement and intrigue. He also told us what to expect and what we need to do to ensure success. He’s a veteran, which brings great comfort, but more importantly, he makes it all so easy for me.

When it comes to travel planning, Jon is no civilian. He’s passionate about it. It wouldn’t surprise me if he did this one day for his “second act” when he stops writing financial plans and guiding investors. He’s that good.

If you know me, you also know I’m kind of particular about big expenditures or vacations like this. I usually have an opinion on where we stay, restaurants, and experiences. But not with Jon.

I’ve vacationed with him a fair amount over the years. It’s not that I’ve loved every city, hotel, or meal we’ve had when I’ve traveled with him. Nor have I liked every guide as much as he has. But none of them were bad. In fact, they’ve all ranged from good to spectacular.

I’m grateful for all he does to make these adventures go off so smoothly. I think Jon knows that. If there was one thing I could do to demonstrate better alignment with him, it would be taking a more active level of engagement when he’s planning these things. I find myself so comfortable with his process and of course the outcome that me – Mr. Controlling – has no problem sitting back, writing a few checks, and showing up at the airport for departure.

He wants to know why I don’t challenge him or suggest alternatives. He sometimes reads that as me not being very excited about his ideas. I assure him my willingness to take a back seat isn’t because I’m uninterested. It’s because I know he’s got it and it’s going to be great. I guess you could say, “I’m onboard.”

Sometimes I think “leadership” feels very similar to this. You wonder how many on your team are really hearing you. You wonder what they think. Should you interpret the crickets to mean everyone is just that onboard and busy doing their part to see the vision advanced? Or does the silence suggest reduced engagement or that they’re unaligned?

What’s The Risk?

“Nothing guarantees mission failure more than a lack of alignment,” wrote Brent Gleeson, founder of TakingPoint Leadership in a Forbes article. “When alignment does not exist, then entire company feels it, which in turn will ensure that employees are not connected to a shared sense of purpose.”

Is relative silence equivalent to being unaligned? Early on, Jon read it that way. But that wasn’t true in my case. In fact just the opposite, I was all-in.

The more I’ve thought about this, the more I realize that people signal their “onboardness” in different ways. To take just one measure could lead to some serious misinterpretations. You have to see their entire “body of work.” It's not just what they say, but also what they do. In the case with my brother, the fact that I am going, my sons are going, and I’ve written a lot of checks, says I’m committed, even if I wasn’t actively involved in every step of the planning or decisions.

To Mr. Gleeson’s point about alignment, I totally agree. I owe it to Jon to speak up and be heard if I’m not okay with something. But as a follower in this case, I want it to be okay for me just to follow. Likewise, I lose my right to complain, be disruptive, or to weigh in after it’s too late, when I don’t engage on the front end.

As it pertains to this trip, I’ve seen the itinerary and ridden with this conductor before. The train is leaving the station and that’s just fine with me. I’m sitting quietly in my seat and enjoying the ride.

Topics: Executive
Tim Leman

Written by Tim Leman

Tim is Chairman and CEO at Gibson. He joined Gibson in 2005 as the Director of the Employee Benefits Practice and became a principal in 2007. He was named President in 2009, CEO in 2011, and elected Chairman of the Board in 2014.

With Tim’s leadership, Gibson has been selected as a Best Places to Work in Indiana, named to Principal’s 10 Best list for employee financial security, maintained its status as a Reagan & Associates Best Practices Agency, recognized as one of 20 Indiana Companies To Watch, and named to the Inc. 5000 list. Read Tim's Full Bio