The Lighthouse Keeper

Every evening at dusk, the lighthouse keeper climbed the same narrow steps and lit the lamp.

Visitors sometimes asked why the light didn’t adjust its beam as conditions changed.

Would it not help, they asked, if more water were lit?

The keeper would listen, nod, and say very little. Just this:

If the light changed, how would a sailor know whether the shore had moved or the beam had?

On stormy nights, the keeper noticed something else.

No one ever asked for a wider beam then.
No one suggested adjustments or improvements.

They only asked one thing.
That the light stayed on.

And that was enough.

How precise does your message make the direction of your organization?

And how consistently do you send it out?

Keep lighting the path,
Michael

Check out my new book
The PATH to Strategic Impact

Get The Art of Communicating in your inbox.
Change minds, drive action, and turn confusion into clarity.

    I value your privacy. No spam. Just “Great stuff, brilliantly articulated” (to use the words of longtime reader David).

    Read More

    The ruthless audience

    Audiences are ruthless. When, after a talk, someone asks an audience member: “What was the talk about?” they are going to answer with a short

    Read »