Rain That Does Not Hit The Ground

Picture courtesy of Desert Bug

This last week we have had some heavy rains in Colorado.  This is a blessing as we have needed moisture to help us control the many fires all over the state. Unfortunately, much of the rain missed the fires and even here in Fort Collins, the rain had nearly completely evaporated within a half hour of landing.

Sometimes instead of rain, all we get is virga — rain that evaporates before it hits the ground.  Sometimes the heat of the fires can cause this, but in Colorado this can happen simply due to the lack of humidity in the air. Virga is an apt analogy for a number of things we experience in life.

As leaders, we decide to make some change in our organization expecting great things, yet the change doesn’t actually come to fruition. We rain but it never hits the ground. Our message evaporates as it’s falling. We institute a new direction and expect quick results, but often times there is a lot of air that must be made much more humid before the change has it’s effect. This is why it’s crucial to pick the changes carefully and over-communicate them until they are effective.

It’s the same in marketing.  If we want to explain what we are doing, we have to stick to a single message so that we can get through all the dry air and eventually have some effect. Many people give up to soon, or get bored with keeping things the same and try to change tactics, but this just starts the process all over.

We live in an ambiguous world. Everyone lives overwhelmed with decisions.  Communication requires persistence.  It requires consistency. If we want our message to actually hit the ground and have some effect, we have to cut through the ambiguity and help provide clarity for others.