The obstacles In our way

Indeed we’re living at very strange times with unfamiliar challenges.

Photo by Josh Wilburne on Unsplash

Most people like myself and most likely yourself are continuously aiming to improve their day to day work and routines to save time.

For example, in our daily routines, we learn new shortcuts like ‘what is the best position for me to stand on the train station on my way to work so that the train door stops just ahead of me? What will be the train door closest to the train station exit?’ Those are little timesavers but, altogether, they influence who will stand first in line in the destination train station coffee house on your way to work on the other side of the city.

Using the same analogy, is your organization working in the most performant way, or are you making the best choices in your line of work?

If you’re being forced to change your plans, maybe you’re being helped in the long run, and you may not know it yet.

It’s the obstacle in your path that forces you to find a better path.

Storytime: In February 2014, two trade unions that represented workers of the London subway launched a 48-hour strike which closed well above half the stations of the system.

The first day of the strike was a very wet, cold, and dark day which discouraged people from walking or getting into a bike. The trains and busses were packed with grumpy people trying to figure out how to avoid disruption.

After the strike, a few economists examined the electronic fare card system which was used for the trains, busses, and subway and took a closer look at what were the routes that people were taking.

Some people got back to their old commute route, but a big number of people did not.

These people found out that they were doing their commute inefficiently all their lives and all that took them to find a better way was two days of disruption.

There are two reasons why sometimes an obstacle may help you solve a problem:

1. It may require your full focus and attention on the task at hand. You can’t afford to miss a second.

2. A random disruption may force you to try something different, which reveals to be a better solution.

I’ve seen this happening so many times. I’ve seen people who had to make a career change and become OutSystems professionals, and now they don’t want to go back.

I’ve seen organizations placing bets on OutSystems technology and becoming winners.

While I’m writing this article, the coronavirus is an enormous disruption for so many people and organizations. I know for sure that only a few of us will return to old habits. Or even the way that organizations work, and maybe that’s not a bad thing.

Embrace your obstacles and don’t flee from them, because you might flourish from facing them head-on.