Standing in Traffic

A few years ago our cruise ship made its last stop in Nassau in the Bahamas.  It was a bit overcast and the kids asked if we could spend the morning looking for some uniquely "authentic" Bahamian souvenirs, like a toy pirate treasure chest, a monkey carved from a coconut and a "Nassau" tee shirt from the Hard Rock Cafe.  So we left the relaxed confines of the ship and began an adventure through the streets of town.

For a small island, there seemed to be a lot of cars.  And as we crossed a particularly busy street, I was pleasantly surprised to see a well-dressed policeman directing traffic (like the one in the photo posted by another cruise passenger to Nassau).  He was doing a great job separating pedestrians and cars, while giving each a turn.  I noted that it was very efficient.  It was also very entertaining because, as is either the custom or this particular individual's approach to his job, his actions--hand waves, motions, gestures, etc.--were all quite animated.  And he had a ready smile for each who passed him.  He was so much fun to watch that I couldn't help but smile myself.  And wave as we passed him.  (He waved back, of course.)  The kids loved it.  It was one of the highlights of the visit to town for me too.

I've often looked at some of the things I have done in my job as being like a traffic cop.  It seems, no matter what position I've had, I end up spending a lot of time relaying information, directions, instructions, materials, data and sometimes even boxes of books or binders from contractors to clients and back again, from government agencies to institutions, from institutions to boards and legislators, from designers to the community, etc.  The more I think about it, the more convinced I am that a big part of what I do is... well... directing traffic of sorts.

Which made me think: How well do I perform that function?  Am I able to get information back and forth accurately?  Yes.  Do I do so in a timely way?  Yes; at least I do my best.  But then I thought of the Bahamian policeman in the middle of the road.  While I'm relaying thoughts or instructions or "stuff" from one to another, am I adding value (so-to-speak) by doing so in a personable way that makes both parties feel as though they've benefited from the exchange?  Do I enhance the instruction or reorganize the data to make it easier for the receiver to use?  And it's hard over the phone or via e-mail, but do I help make people smile in the process?

In our office of cubicles, I often hear a woman colleague nearby as she calls different campus staff members for a host of reasons.  Often its to remind them of something or (gently) push them to comply with a deadline.  Invariably, however, she opens the exchange with a friendly greeting and a humorous comment or two that breaks the ice and makes a normal business call seem more like a friendly exchange with a neighbor over a fence.  And it works too.

Which reminds me... I wonder whatever happened to that carved coconut?