Thinking back to my recent paragliding experience at Jackson Hole, I’ve gained fresh insight into the advice, “Show, don’t tell.”

If my pilot had merely given me the sail and harness, and said, “Run off the side of this mountain and then use the following instructions to pilot yourself safely to the ground,” you wouldn’t be reading this post.

I would be a mere memory.

But now that I’ve seen what it takes to pilot such a device, I have a much deeper understanding of the challenges involved. With more training and hands-on experiences, I could learn to fly safely.

The challenges my clients and their teams face are no less complicated or dangerous than paragliding. It seldom suffices for one person—a leader, for example—to tell another what to do without showing them how to do it. (I’m assuming the second individual hasn’t yet had hands-on experience or at least at the level needed.)

In a similar manner, sometimes it’s prudent for a junior person to show their superiors the problems they have spotted deep within the financial projections or with a supplier. Saying “there’s a problem” isn’t as convincing or informative as demonstrating.

The more complex and pressure-packed a situation, the wiser the advice to show, don’t tell.