February 10, 2026
by Stephen T. Messenger
Every day, I come home from work and hang my jacket on this one particular hook in our house. It’s not in the closet, but more out in the open, easy to reach, and quickly accessible. It’s just what I do, and have been doing for months since we moved in.
Last week, my wife, out of seemingly nowhere, let me know that she hates it when I place it there. Her point was that it was in the open and taking up space for something else.
I had no idea! Prior to this conversation, my actions were both correct in my mind and failing in hers. I was both right and wrong at the same time.
This wasn’t anyone’s fault, just a simple communication disconnect. But this happens so often. We supervise, work with, or work for people who have different expectations than ours. And when those two people don’t communicate, one is frustrated, and one is failing without even knowing it.
That’s why it’s so important to clearly communicate our expectations, or we create a Schrodinger’s Cat situation.
The Cat in the Box
Erwin Schrodinger in 1935 created a thought experiment where a cat is placed in a sealed box with a radioactive atom, a Geiger counter, and a vial of poison. If the atom decays, the Geiger counter senses it and has a mechanism to release the poison. Why someone would do this, I don’t know, but in this particular scenario, there is a 50% chance the atom will decay within the hour, and the poison kills the cat.
There are two fates for the cat. Fifty percent of the time, the cat dies. The other half, the cat lives. According to Schrodinger (and quantum mechanics, which is beyond my comprehension), until the box is opened and we can verify the cat’s status, the atom exists in both its normal and decayed condition; therefore, the cat is in this nebulous state of being both alive and dead until we can verify.
While this experiment has a number of quantum physics applications, for us, it shows how reality can exist in multiple states until it is observed. Every day at work, we exist in multiple states of being right and wrong until our boss tells us so. This is why unambiguous communication is critical to organizational success.
Being In Multiple States Causes Confusion
In four of my last five assignments covering over a half-decade, my bosses were in different locations. We rarely saw each other, and I was working independently under their written and verbal (virtual) guidance. They often provided explicit direction, and I followed it as best I could.
But in reality, until they came out and checked on me, I was both completely in line with their guidance and absolutely out of line with what I didn’t know. They can’t possibly tell me every one of their expectations, and I’m paid to often guess what actions would best meet the boss’s intent. I was both right and wrong at the same time.
Once they visited, they could then observe where I was right or wrong, and thank me in some areas and help me get back on track in others. When we don’t have clear guidance, whether from states away or the next office, those ambiguous times are often the most challenging. We make decisions that we think are correct, but we won’t know until the boss validates them.
Ways to Clearly Communicate
Luckily, whether the boss is in the next cubicle or hundreds of miles away, there are effective strategies to communicate in a manner where we don’t wonder whether Schrodinger’s cat is dead or alive.
1. Listen. If we’re the subordinate, the first step is to hear what the boss is saying and listen. Listening is less a passive act than an active skill. Sometimes, we have to hear things that are unstated in order to truly understand what other people want. I’m sure my wife hinted that where I hung my jacket was bothering her; I just didn’t listen.
2. Speak Directly. If we’re the boss, we must clearly define our expectations. When we provide guidance that is obscure, vague, or can be interpreted in different ways, we’re causing confusion in the organization. A better way is to speak clearly and directly about what we want. If my wife had said early on that she didn’t want my coat hanging there, I would have moved it. No big deal.
3. Build Relationships. Communication is always better when two people know, trust, and like each other. It’s important in the workplace to build relationships so we can freely share ideas and transmit information more effectively. Never underestimate the power of relationships. My wife and I have an amazing relationship, but it was still hard to understand the “jacket incident.” Imagine how much harder it is with people at work.
4. Communicate Early and Often. Unstated expectations are unmet expectations. There is no need to let an issue fester. If something is wrong or off, the other person wants to know about it. Tell them. We owe it to others to identify a problem and convey our expectations. If we let it go, the situation will not change. I left my jacket up for months before I even knew it was an issue.
While my jacket on the wrong hook incident was just a placeholder for me, this lack of communication created a slow-burning friction that neither me nor my wife wanted. When we let things go, the situation does not change and the organizational climate will begin to decay.
Clear communication is not hard, but it does take work. It is incumbent on us to either provide clear guidance or ask when we’re unsure of the direction we’ve received. When in doubt, state our desires or clarify the direction we’ve been given.
Save the Cat: Don’t Be Both Right and Wrong
Schrodinger’s cat was in both an alive and dead state at the same time. We owe it to those around us not to wonder if they’re like the physicist’s cat: both right and wrong at the same time. As bosses, we should be as explicit as possible. As subordinates, we are owed clear guidance to execute the boss’s intent, and when in doubt, we should have a good enough relationship to ask.
When we provide or receive clear expectations, there’s no longer a box obscuring whether we’re right or wrong. When there’s obscure guidance and instruction, Schrodinger’s box creates confusion leaving us to wonder whether we’re right or wrong.
Do everyone a favor and let’s throw the box out (along with the radioactive material. No one wants that!). Set clear direction in our organization and watch people move heaven and earth to make it happen!
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