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The Taco Salad Lesson: Communication That Actually Lands [E242]

The Taco Salad Lesson: Communication That Actually Lands [E242]

Chris Cotton Weekly Blitz Jan 26, 2026 8 min
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About this episode

Communication breakdowns often stem from misinterpretations rather than a lack of care. This episode dives deep into the nuances of effective communication, emphasizing that clarity is about how well a message is understood, not just how well it's spoken. Through a personal story about a taco salad from childhood, the host illustrates how different perceptions can lead to confusion. Listeners learn the importance of verifying understanding, asking clarifying questions, and avoiding assumptions to enhance communication in both personal and professional settings.

Topics: communication breakdowns clarity in messaging listening vs hearing verifying understanding assumptions in communication leadership communication active listening personal anecdotes taco salad lesson
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Hey, have you ever walked away from a conversation thinking I was perfectly clear only to find
out later that the other person heard something completely different and you're standing there
thinking that's not even close to what I said. Here's the hard truth. Most of us don't want to
admit most communication breakdown. It doesn't happen because people don't care. It happens
because what was said is not what was heard. If your business owner, a leader, a coach, a service
advisor, technician, spouse or parent, this episode is going to matter because communication isn't
about how well you speak. It's about how clearly the message lands. And today I want to slow it
way down. On the weekly Blitz, we usually touch on this topic in short bursts, leadership, clarity,
alignment, expectations. But today we're devoting the entire episode to it. And we're going to talk
about why people hear what they expect and not what you say, the difference between listening and
hearing, how assumptions quietly wreck teams, why great leaders verify understanding and how a taco
salad from my childhood permanently rewired how I communicate. Let's get into it. Most people
think communication is about talking clearly. It's not necessarily. Communication is about
alignment. You can use the right words, you can have the right tone, you have the best intentions
in the world and still completely missed a mark. Why is that? Because people don't hear words in a
vacuum. They filter what you say through their past experiences, their stress level, their fears,
their assumptions, their expectations. And that's why two people can hear the exact same sentence
and walk away with two different meanings. One of the biggest lessons I've learned as leaders is
this. Intent does not equal impact. You might intend to be direct. They might experience you as harsh.
You might intend to be flexible. They might hear you as uncertain. You might intend to motivate.
They might feel pressure. And when that gap exists, that's where the following happens.
Resentment grows. Mistakes happen. Teams disconnect and customers get frustrated.
That gap is not a people problem. That gap is a clarity problem. And when we're talking about
communication, I'm a firm believer in all of our shops. Most of our lives, 98% of our problems come
from improper communication. Let's talk about the taco salad lesson. And this one stuck with my
entire life. And I'm going to go through it really quickly. You're going to laugh. But this was a
weekly event for probably a year. Let me take you back to my childhood for a minute. My kid,
I'm at home. It's me and my dad. It's taco salad night, right? So that was a treat growing up,
you know, anything other than hamburger help or with a slice of bread and butter was a treat.
So when I hear the words taco salad, my brain feels in the rest expectation set.
Dinner hits the table. What do I see? Bola lettuce, a little meat. My mouth is burning.
Somebody put jalapenos on the damn thing for right there really quickly. I am the biggest
gringo on the planet. I don't do spicy at all. Kimberly's like mid spicy and piper. You can
give her anything on the planet and it doesn't face her. Jalapenos to me is burning my mouth.
And I would tell my dad that the salad was hot with tears in my eyes and he'd look at me like I was
nuts. What was happening was is he wasn't hearing what I was saying and I wasn't explaining it any
better. So I was seven. But anyway, you know, nobody lied. Nobody messed up. No one had bad
intentions. We just didn't define hot as the same thing. Same words, different meaning,
different way of getting across. And so that moment has stuck with me my whole entire life.
And because I got older, I realized something powerful. That taco salad wasn't an isolated
incident. That taco salad happens every single day in business. Early in my coaching career,
it used to drive me nuts. I'd have a coaching session. I knew perfectly well what I was saying,
but when we do the follow up meeting the next week, what my client carried out wasn't anywhere
near what I was expecting. And it's because what was said isn't what was heard. And it's just as
much as my fault as it is theirs. So in that moment of reflection, I started asking myself,
can you repeat back to me what you thought I said? And then we go from there to clarify.
In our industry, we say things like do it ASAP, handle that customer, clean up the shop, do your
best, let's circle back. And everyone fills in the blanks their own way. Then we get frustrated
when the outcome doesn't match what we meant. That's not a motivation issue. That's not an
intelligence issue. That's a definition issue. If you don't define the taco salad,
don't be surprised when you get the jalapenos. Here's another truth. And I'm the world's worst
at this. Most people are not listening. They're just waiting to talk. Listening is active, hearing
is passive. Good listeners don't just nod their head. They ask follow-up questions. They clarify
assumptions and they repeat things back. One of the biggest leadership upgrades I've ever made
was adopting one simple habit. Tell me what you heard. Not as a test, not as a trap, not to embarrass
anyone, but as protection for both of the parties involved. Because when someone repeats it back,
you learn where were you clear, where were you fuzzy and where the assumption's crept in.
And so here's the key. If they can't repeat it clearly, it's not their fault. That's on us as
leaders and communicators. Clarity is not about talking more. Clarity is about confirming understanding.
Everybody quick pause right here to thank today's sponsor Shop Marketing Pros. Here's why I genuinely
like these guys. Marketing is communication and bad marketing is just like bad leadership
communication. You think you're being clear, but the customers hear something else or nothing at all.
Shop Marketing Pros helps auto repair shops say the right thing to the right customer
in the right way at the right time. From websites to messaging to strategy,
they help make sure what you're saying actually lands. If you're tired of shouting into the void
and hoping customers get it, go check them out. One of the strongest leadership tools you're ever
going to use is verification, not micro management, not control, verification of understanding.
I want you to try asking, walk me through what success looks like here. What's your takeaway
from this? How do you see this playing out? Those questions do two things. They show respect.
They surface disconnects early and early disconnects are cheap. Late disconnects are expensive.
Late disconnects look like comebacks, misdeadlines, hurt feelings, lost customers,
team burnout, all because we assumed. Assumptions are lazy leadership and clarity is intentional
leadership. If you've listened and you've come this far and you take nothing else from this
episode, I want you to take this. Communication is not complete when words leave your mouth.
It's complete when understanding lands. That's true with your team, your customers,
your family and yourself. I want you to slow down. I want you to ask better questions,
repeat things back, define that taco salad because what's obvious to you might be completely
invisible to somebody else. Leadership doesn't fail loudly at first. It fails quietly through
misunderstood conversations and unspoken frustration. But when you commit to communication that
actually lands, everything changes. This is Coach Chris Cotton and this has been the Weekly Blitz.
Have a great day, everybody. Rise and grind.

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