Dark jean shorts saddled low, his deeply tanned olive complexion and shortly buzzed black hair framed the confused look on his face. No more than a buck thirty, maybe 23 years old, he rebuffed my several attempts to win him over.
“Hey there” I say.
“Oh, hi.”
“So listen, I’d like to help you.”
“Oh no, I’m fine I don’t need any help” he says, dismissing me with a stern “Thank you.”
Persistent I continue.
“Right. So, ok if we walk over here?”
Adamantly opposed he refuses, “I’m fine thank you, have a good day.” He starts to move forward and my heart drops into my stomach.
“Look, you’re going the wrong way!” Startled by the tone in my voice he stops.
A snapshot in time, two people in an uncomfortable situation-one with a vision, the other confidently striding in the opposite direction. Happens all the time. Project development, innovative discussions, brainstorming, performance management. We don’t always see what’s happening around us.
Driving through a major intersection, I sucked in a huge breath at the site in front of us. There, 25 feet in front of our car, with cars whizzing by on all sides stands a young man.
A young, blind man.
Dismissing the nervousness of being hit from behind, my companion hits the hazard lights and jumping out of the Jeep I sprint towards him. The noise is overwhelming, and oblivious to the cars flying by him he stands there confident but confused.
“Hey” I say.
“Oh, hi.”
“So listen, I’d like to help you.”
“Oh no, I’m fine I don’t need any help” he says, dismissing me with a stern “Thank you.”
Persistent I continue.
“Right. So, ok if I place my hand on your elbow? How ’bout we walk over here.”
Adamantly opposed he refuses, “I’m fine thank you, have a good day.”
“Look, you’re going the wrong way!” Startled by the tone in my voice he stops.
No questions now, no time for deliberation I’m vehement, “You’re standing in the middle of a six lane roadway. There’s cars all around us. I don’t care how we do this, you can put your hand on my shoulder, I can grasp your elbow, or you can listen to my voice-but we’re moving, and we’re moving now, got it?!”
I think of the many meetings, water cooler talks, emails with strokes of guidance erased by blinders. In the moment it’s easy to either step back, put up a wall, and strike a “What do you know” pose. Or, to be on the other side and want to pull your hair out and scream “Just listen to me!”
Pride aside, we are blind without the guidance and help our colleagues deliver. With all the noise whizzing by us in offices, cubicles, and conference rooms it’s easy to miss voices of suggestion, re-direction, possibility, innovation.
Are you listening? The success of your project may depend upon it.
