Sending signals

Yesterday, I was headed home after work and approached an intersection. Traffic was backed up, and there were signs indicating some kind of road work ahead, with a flagger who was sending cars through the stoplight.

I waited, and after a minute or two, I was second in line to go through the light. At this point, with cars at all four corners, traffic backed up, and the light changing, the flagger simply walked away from his post. I could see the man in the car across from me call something out of his window to the flagger, pointing in the direction he wanted to go, asking a question.

The flagger shrugged.

The driver did a double take, then proceeded (cautiously) through the intersection. The rest of us fell back into the regular rules of the road.

I have never seen this before. This was an active roadway, at rush hour. All the drivers there had suspended their normal understanding of how the rules work, and were following this alternative—the flagger will tell us what to do. We read the signs and signals and altered our behavior.

In order to navigate the world safely and appropriately, we look for signs about what’s expected, how to behave, where to go. When we’re the ones in charge, it’s up to us to provide those signs and signals. And, crucially, it’s important to remember that we are sending signals even when we haven’t chosen them. When the flagger was done, he just walked away. In the absence of the flagger, it now felt like there were no rules.

 

• • You’re running the meeting
  • You’re giving the speech
  • You’re responsible for other peoples’ understanding of a situation