PARKINSON: Prepare for the moment; its never what it once was – Sarasota Herald-Tribune

Interpersonal relationships can be tricky. So can business relationships.

And most of us deal with them all the time. Perhaps the most difficult aspect is the speed with which factors develop, change, and then reappear. Its like the juggler who has to keep the balls in the air. Its easy to deal with a few, but with each added unit, pretty soon it is almost impossible to control them.

Businesses, and segments of businesses, likewise become increasingly complex. They might require adding more supplies, vehicles, and of course people. Those combined factors then require additional procedures and more rules and regulations. What was once a relatively easy operation becomes a complicated process.

The most complicated and complex challenge of managing and controlling all the movable parts that constitute an organization is the people involved. The mechanical parts of an organization are relatively simple, but people can be complicated.

In addition the quick and surprising passing of time complicates the entire process. Heres an example of what I mean.

Some years ago I came face to face with a tragic event.

It happened at the emergency room of a local hospital on a sunny spring Sunday afternoon. I had a minor accident while working in my garage. My wife was out of town, so I drove myself to the emergency room.

I was annoyed because it was a beautiful day, and I didnt want to spend it in a hospital emergency room. After checking in I visited the triage person. Then off I went to the room with the curtains to wait for a physician. Open curtains, ready; closed curtains, in use.

I was assigned to a cubicle. Then I waited and waited and waited!

Finally a doctor came in to diagnose and provide treatment. He got as far as the diagnosis, and suddenly everything in the place went up for grabs! Everyone who was on duty in the ER converged in a single cubicle across from mine.

I could hear intense talk and high-tech sounds. Although I couldnt see into the other cubicle it was obvious the atmosphere was electric.

I was not happy to be kept waiting in my cubicle on a nice Sunday afternoon. I was focused on my problem and my needs, and the entire staff had left me to attend to someone else. I was hurting and I wanted to be fixed. Now!

In a little while, everything became quiet again. The medical staff came out of the curtained cubicle that had commanded everyones attention and returned to their respective assignments. My doctor stepped back into my cubicle, subdued.

Got pretty hectic I said

Yes

Everything O.K.?

No

What happened?

The baby died.

I had no immediate response. Those words stunned me. The baby died.

I had been annoyed about sitting there on a Sunday afternoon, but The baby died.

I would be going home in a little while, but THE BABY DIED.

What happened? I finally asked.

S.I.D. Sudden Infant Death. Nothing we could do.

The thought remained. THE BABY DIED.

As the doctor was writing something on my chart, I saw a young couple walk toward the curtained cubicle. They went inside.

Moments later they came out, stopped, embraced. They walked toward the exit door, each with an arm around the other, holding tightly.

Another older couple, probably the grandparents, met them. Private quiet words were exchanged, and they all left.

For them the world would never be what it had been earlier that Sunday morning.

I looked at the closed curtains where the baby was, and I thought of the finality of that day.

I have thought of it often since that morning.

After the doctor treated me I went home to pick up where the day had left off.

So what is the connection here to the business world? We never know what the next minute will bring. Its important to focus on how we treat others, colleagues, and customers and how we respond to them every moment of every day.

Siesta Key resident J. Robert Parkinson, who has a doctorate in communications from Syracuse University, is an author, executive communication coach and consultant to companies throughout the U.S. and abroad. His books include, Be as Good as You Think You Are (Motivational Press), written with his wife, Eileen; Becoming a Successful Manager (McGraw-Hill) and You Can't Push A String (Black Opal Books). Contact him at joropa@northwestern.edu.

The rest is here:
PARKINSON: Prepare for the moment; its never what it once was - Sarasota Herald-Tribune