Attitude Indicator

Imagine if we had an attitude indicator (Wikipedia) for when we are having discussions during difficult workplace decision-making? It would help us see early on when we were starting to lean too far in one direction, when our tone, emotions, or our overly dogmatic assumptions were pulling the conversation off balance.

In aviation, the attitude indicator (or artificial horizon) helps pilots know whether they are climbing, diving, or banking too sharply. Without it, disorientation can set in quickly, especially in cloudy and uncertain conditions. The same can happen in teams when discussions get tense or emotionally charged, our internal compass can be thrown off, and we may not even realize it until it’s too late.

That’s where something like SpatzAI (Spatz Attitude Indicator 🙂 could come in handy. Think of it as a Uncivil Attitude Indicator (and course-correction toolkit) for teams—helping members stay level-headed and aware when discussions start to tilt and go off course. Through real-time course-correction (cautions, objections, and stops), team members can gently correct their attitude early, before any minor imbalances become conflict tailspins.

Just as pilots use their instruments to keep the aircraft stable, teams could use a real-time feedback toolkit like SpatzAI to maintain a steady, respectful “flight path.” The goal isn’t to avoid turbulence altogether, but to navigate it safely and collaboratively. When everyone can see the same horizon, (the shared instruments), differences in perspective become part of the balancing act, not the cause of the crash.

PS
It strikes me as beautifully ironic that we use the same term “attitude“, for both the stability and direction of an aircraft and for how individuals and teams behave.

A plane’s attitude determines whether it climbs, dives, or stalls, and our personal or team attitude often does the same for our relationships and collaboration.

If our “nose is too high,” we may come across as arrogant. Too “nose down,” and we might appear defeated or submissive. Tilt too far one way, and we lose balance. But with a reliable attitude indicator, and a willingness to course-correct when we become overly dogmatic or full of hubris, we can continually realign ourselves and stay level-headed.