I’m sitting in the waiting room in the service department of the Dodge dealership, waiting on the entertainment console on my RAM 1500 to get replaced.
Waiting Room should be renamed Waiting Zoo.
There is a pack of wild children running around playing with real toys (something to be said about giving each of them a tablet with headphones), adults speaking loudly on their phones, and the TV on blaring opinions of politics. Meanwhile I’m trying to concentrate on this blog.
Nothing seems to be getting done. The clerks at the desk are on their phones. No updates. No nothing.
Nothing fast. Nothing quick.
You know, there is a difference between those two words.
Speed means fast. Quick means agile. Both are appropriate if you want to be successful at work. Let’s look at both in detail.
Speed:
- I complete this project ahead of the deadline.
- I answer a phone call on the second ring.
- I get from Nashville to Baltimore in 90 minutes by plane, but it takes 10 hours by car.
- I respond to a candidate within 24 hours of getting their resume.
Quickness:
- I successfully pivot when a project changes scope.
- I can answer a phone, put the person on a brief hold, and speak to the customer standing in front of me.
- I can deftly cancel my plane ticket when my flight goes on terminal delay, reserve a rental car, and start on the 10 hour drive to Baltimore all from my smartphone in the airport restaurant.
- I respond to an applicant, contact the hiring manager, and coordinate a phone interview within 24 hours of getting the applicant’s resume.
Speed is fast. Quickness is agility and multi-tasking where appropriate. Both are good, but much better together.
To navigate the challenge of being a great boss, you’ll have to do both. If not, you’ll get a reputation as insecure, inflexible, indecisive, or apathetic. Not a good thing.
So this week, think about how you can do your job more quickly and efficiently. Speed and quickness. Make them your goal for this year.