November was a bad month for my car and a drain on my time getting it fixed and making arrangements for alternate transportation. After years of carefree driving, I got two flat tires in the space of two weeks. Thank goodness, the sidewall punctures caused the tires went flat overnight in my driveway – as opposed to blow out on the Interstate – so there was never any danger. My spare, which I had never used, is one of those “doughnuts” – small profile and high pressure for easy storage. The downside shows up in its speed rating – not more than 50 MPH.
I don’t know about where you live but here in the Metro D.C. area, active schools zones are probably the only places that have speed limit under 50. This is an exaggeration, of course. Other residential areas are in the 35-45 MPH range, but all the major thoroughfares are 55-65. Driving them at 50 is almost dangerous…and I can hear you cussing out that “slow” driver for causing additional traffic tie-ups.
Being forced to slow down got me thinking about speed. I noticed that I could see more details along the road and remember them at my reduced speed. I even walked certain stretches of road I normally drive and saw even more detail at a walking pace. It started me thinking about the demand for speed in the workplace. It seems that people want everything as fast as possible. Now I have heard the saying that “time is money,” but do we really need all activities done as fast as possible?
I submit for your consideration that building business relationships does not benefit from speed. Human beings are complex and those subtitles get lost like the roadside details the faster we try to go. When it comes to getting to know your team members or your customers, take it slow and enjoy the ride. The additional insights you gain will pay huge dividends in the long run.
