Stop Winging It

Winging it can feel like confidence: stay loose, keep options open, decide in the moment. But there’s a side of “flexibility” we don’t like to admit the part where other people are stuck guessing, waiting, redoing work, and carrying stress we never named. Message 627 is a short, sharp reminder that our habits don’t exist in a vacuum, especially when we lead teams, build companies, or share life with people who care about the outcome.

I walk through why improvisation often “works” for the person doing it while quietly exhausting everyone nearby. When direction changes aren’t communicated, the cost shows up as confusion, second-guessing, and emotional labor. I also add a hard truth to the classic Benjamin Franklin line about preparation: when we don’t plan, we’re usually not the only ones who eat the failure. The most affected people are often the best ones the reliable teammates, partners, and friends who can’t stand to let things drop.

Then we flip the frame. A little clarity isn’t rigidity or control. It’s refusing to make someone else carry the weight of your vagueness. Two minutes of clear direction, a quick plan, or a simple “here’s what I need” can protect trust, reduce burnout, and improve communication fast. If you want help building that clarity muscle, I share where to find me. Subscribe, share this with someone who leads, and leave a review if it helps and what’s one thing you’ll make clearer today?

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Transcript

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Welcome And The Growth Mindset

SPEAKER_00 0:00

You're listening to the Growth Instigators Hotline. I'm Aaron Havens, and this is message 627. No matter who you are or what you've achieved, what you've learned, where you've gone, we can all grow. So here's a way to grow

The Allure Of Winging It

SPEAKER_00 0:17

today. What you call winging it, someone else calls exhausting. Here's the thing about winging it. From where you stand, it feels great, it feels flexible and loose-free. You get to keep your options open. Decide as you go, follow your gut. No rigid plan boxing you in. And for you, honestly, it kind of works. But you're not the only one in the picture.

When Others Have To Guess

SPEAKER_00 0:43

Because while you're happy improvising, someone near you is trying to figure out what you actually want. They're guessing, waiting, they're redoing the thing because you changed direction and didn't say so. Your freedom is quietly landing on them as stress. So what you call winging it, someone else calls exhausting.

The People Who Eat The Failure

SPEAKER_00 1:06

Benjamin Franklin said it like this by failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail. But I'd add one thing. You're usually

Clarity Is Kindness Not Control

SPEAKER_00 1:15

not the only one who eats that failure. The people around you do. The ones who care enough to catch what you dropped, cover what you forgot, the ones that are holding it together while you call it staying flexible. And notice who those people are. It's never the ones who don't care. Nah, they'll leave in a minute. They just shrug it off and let it fall. It's your best people. The ones that can't stand to let something fail. So they absorb your chaos and with their own energy. Winging it doesn't wear down the people who don't care. It wears down exactly the ones you can't afford to lose. So here's how we can reframe it and think about it. A little bit of clarity isn't you becoming rigid or controlling. It's you refusing to make someone else carry the weight of your vagueness. Two minutes to say what you actually need. A quick plan so no one has to guess. That's not less freedom. That's you being kind enough to think ahead so the people beside you can breathe. What you call winging it, someone else calls exhausting.

One Hard Question And Next Steps

SPEAKER_00 2:26

Here's the question for today. Who in your life is quietly worn out by something you've never bothered to make clear? Hey, and if you want help handling or building something that builds clarity, that's what I do. I'm a growth coach. Visit me at growthinstigators.com and let's start a conversation. Until next time, keep instigating growth and all you do.