February is here, and it’s RUSH HOUR already!
Everybody seems to be in a rush to get somewhere. So many people are trying to pass others on the race to more money, more leisure time, more security, more power, and more influence. On a multi-lane highway, some are in the right hand “traveling lane” driving just to get somewhere. Some are traveling in the center lane, trying to overtake the slower ones in the right lane. Some are in the far left lane, in an attempt to pass everyone else.
The lane we choose tells many things
If you drive in the left lane almost all the time, what does it say about you? If someone in your organization is slower than you, how do you “drive” that conversation? Are your instructions clear on the rate of progress in a project milestone or its completion date? It is upsetting to hear of someone getting reprimanded for a timeline infraction that wasn’t clear, isn’t it?
If you drive mostly in the right lane, what does that say about you? Driving the speed limit can’t be construed as “poking along”. But in today’s fast-paced business life and personal life, why do so many view people going at their normal pace as just “not keeping up”?
Be courteous!
When you change goals, adjust strategies, slow the rate of change, or accelerate a product launch, thoseinvolve changing lanes. We have a tool for that. It’s called a turn signal. A company may have multiple departments, a church with many valuable and worth-while ministries, or a non-profit with many diverse offerings of service. Alert those who are directing the decisions to first SIGNAL, then initiate the change. It is very frustrating when there is a direction change that catches everyone off guard. It’s like when a driver suddenly merges into another lane without warning; trying to crowd into someone else’s already established path or direction. How many issues in business, churches, or homes could have been avoided, prevented, or at least addressed, with a little thought and courtesy first?
Construction can be a “game changer”, but always seems to involve “lane changing”
Construction is needed when improvements are considered and implemented. What if there were no warning signs about detours ahead? Would that frustrate you? Imagine coming up on a barricade and huge flashing arrows telling you a major “merge” is ahead. Everyone in a lane now has their plans changed! Each of us is forced into fewer lanes or maybe even onelane. How many wait until the last possible second, resisting the change, and then try to merge, creating all kinds of road rage?
“Lord, we pray we are in whatever lane You select for us as we move through life. Help us to be courteous and sensitive along the way, and let others see You in our decisions. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”
– Lee Kresser