Recently, it seems like people have forgotten the rules of the road in Atlanta. Two weeks back, a colleague of mine got in a pretty bad car accident when another driver failed to yield prior to turning at a green light intersection. I myself have been to a significant number of four way stops recently where a second driver headed in one direction thought “taking turns” wasn’t applicable to them. What gives?
To draw a parallel to the working world, I am a big proponent of following the rules of the road and giving people the right of way. Nothing is more frustrating than people that don’t give others a chance, and offer (if nothing else as a common courtesy) someone else the chance to take their turn and speak up on a topic. I guess some people think that it’s a sign of power or strength to blatantly cut off other individuals. To me – it’s simply dangerous. Weaving in and out of traffic (on the road and in the conference room) will ultimately wreck you. Even if you don’t realize it, you are creating a persona and reputation for yourself that is unpleasant to most of those whom you will encounter. It’s like playing with fire. At some point, you will invariably get burned.
So be careful – and try to let others have the right of way every now and then.
Til Next Time,
Michael