In many offices, a common source of frustration isn’t just the workload—it’s the wait. You send a message asking for an update, only to be met with silence. You wonder, “What are they even doing?” Meanwhile, your colleague might be thinking the exact same thing about you. Tasks stall in invisible bottlenecks, misunderstandings mount, and deadlines drift.
Now contrast that with the cockpit of a commercial aircraft. Two pilots, who may have never flown together before, coordinate seamlessly. They each know their role, their timing, and the sequence of actions. The secret? Standard operating procedures (SOPs). These aren’t just checklists—they’re the glue that binds the team in clarity, accountability, and trust, even under pressure.
Back in the office, most teams don’t crash if someone’s late with a spreadsheet, but the productivity turbulence is real. Projects stall, communication breaks down, and frustration builds. Ad hoc collaboration leads to confusion; structure leads to flow.
By adopting clear procedures—who does what, when, and how—teams gain more than efficiency. They gain confidence in each other. Just like in the cockpit, where standardization empowers quick decisions and smooth operations, structured workflows in the office foster reliability and reduce the mental drag of constantly renegotiating responsibilities.
So the next time you’re wondering what your coworker is doing, ask yourself instead: Do we have a standard way of doing this? If not, maybe it’s time to taxi toward a better approach—because every workplace could use a little more cockpit precision.
Leska Consulting 