1 Red Light, 3 Cars and 5 Lessons in Leadership

Recently, I drove my daughter to the pediatrician for a check-up. No concerns. No sickness. No urgency beyond the standard parental desire to get in and out without tears or ironically picking up something in the waiting room.

In the distance, I noticed an upcoming traffic light turn from green to yellow to red, and the car in front of me stopped at the intersection. About 10 empty-intersection seconds later, the driver in front of me grew impatient and just…ran the red light.

“Well, okay then,” I said, laughing.

About three seconds later, the driver behind me laid on their horn. I looked in my rearview mirror and saw the person gesturing wildly, imploring me in no uncertain terms to get a move on.

There was just one problem: the light was still red.

The person behind me, however, didn’t realize that. All they knew was that the person in front of me went—and I didn’t. In their mind, I was the obstacle. The problem. The reason progress had stalled.

In that moment, I couldn’t help but see the parallels to business, leadership, and executive communications. Because this exact dynamic plays out in organizations every single day.

Here are five lessons that red-light interaction reinforced for me.

1) Pause and take a breath

The driver behind me reacted instantly. No pause. No curiosity. Just frustration and noise.

In executive communications—and business more broadly—almost nothing good happens when people are angry and quick to lash out. Reactionary emails, defensive Teams messages, and emotional responses in meetings often create far bigger problems than the original issue ever would have.

Strong executive positioning starts with restraint. The ability to pause, breathe, and respond with intention is one of the most underrated leadership skills there is. Executive coaching often focuses on this exact muscle: slowing down just enough to choose effective communication over emotional release.

2) Make sure you see the entire board

The honking driver focused on the wrong thing. They saw movement ahead and assumed the path was clear. What they didn’t see—or didn’t bother to check—was the most important signal at play: the traffic light.

In business, leaders often misdiagnose problems because they’re focused on surface-level symptoms instead of the full context. Revenue is down. A team missed a deadline. A stakeholder is upset. But those are symptoms, not root causes.

Effective executive communications require seeing the entire board: strategy, execution, incentives, constraints, human dynamics, and more. When leaders zoom out, many “problems” either resolve themselves or reveal a very different issue.

Don’t ignore the symptoms, but focus on finding the root cause.

3) If you’re going to reprimand, make sure you have the right person

I wasn’t in the wrong. The driver who ran the red light was.

Yet frustration flowed backward—to the most visible, not the most responsible.

This happens constantly in business. Leaders direct pressure at the wrong teams. Executives hold the wrong person accountable. Employees get blamed for systemic issues they didn’t create.

Misplaced criticism is one of the fastest ways to erode trust and kill culture. Strong executive positioning means being precise with accountability. Before calling someone out—publicly or privately—leaders need to ask: Am I addressing the real issue, or just the most convenient target?

4) You don’t have to fast-follow

There’s a human obsession with being first—and it existed long before Ricky Bobby.

But even when we’re not first, it doesn’t mean we have to be second. Just because someone else broke the rules or prioritized expedience over execution doesn’t mean you need to follow them into bad decisions.

In business, leaders often chase competitors, rush strategy shifts, or respond prematurely because “everyone else is doing it.”

Executive strategy isn’t about speed for speed’s sake. It’s about timing, judgment, and confidence. Sometimes the most powerful move is staying put and waiting for the light to turn green.

5) Keep things in perspective

Even if the light had turned green and I hadn’t realized it, what did the driver behind me really lose? Three seconds?

Nothing was on fire. No cars were hit. No lives were lost.

In organizations, leaders often treat minor delays or inconveniences like existential threats. That sense of false urgency creates stress, burnout, and unnecessary conflict.

Great executive leaders maintain perspective. They understand what truly matters. Executive coaching often helps leaders recalibrate this lens, helping them distinguish between real risk and perceived urgency.

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Executive communications isn’t just what you say in all-employee emails or at company town halls. It’s how you conduct yourself in moments of tension. The calm you carry into conflict. The empathy you extend when assigning blame. The clarity you bring when others are reacting emotionally.

Sometimes, leadership is waiting for the right moment to move—no matter how loud the horn gets behind you.

Tony Meale is a Chicago-based executive communications leader, strategic adviser, and leadership coach. He has advised and ghostwritten for leaders at every level—from solo entrepreneurs to Fortune 500 CEOs—and helped them elevate their voice, build their brand, and expand their business. Connect with him here.