On ‘Being Present’— Fire the Slow Walkers?
It goes back to the time when I was working for one of the world’s largest consumer goods companies in Europe, a British sales director delivered a rather provocative speech in one of our annual meetings. He said passionately, ‘When I hire someone, I first look at how the fellow walks. A proactive and efficient walk shows the right attitude.’ and then he continued in a more infuriated tone, ‘I really cannot stand those who still walk like an old man when our business is in such a bad shape! I would fire all the slow walkers if I could!’ Even after some years I still remember his speech vividly as it caused quite a stir in a company where controversies are rarely encouraged. Noteworthy was his intention that he wished to lift the team’s spirit in a downturn. Nevertheless, I could not stop wondering, is speed destined to deliver more success? Does ‘the faster the better’ always work? If you divide a day into two zones: fast and slow, taking away sleeping time, how...