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Something Worth SharingThe Paint On The Road
I’ve been “lucky enough” to do several (!) driving speed awareness courses. While I say ‘lucky’ with my tongue in my cheek, there is no doubt that there is value in stopping and reflecting - and learning - more about the importance and impact of speed while driving. However, one of my real take-aways from one of these sessions was not what I expected; did you ever think about the fact that the more paint on the road, the more accidents have occurred right there? The paint on the road is a retrospective action, and the true impact of this for me now I am conscious of the more paint equalling more accidents, is to think of it in a more significant way. Many systems and processes in life and business are created in this vein. They are, in essence, showing us the scars of the past. Have you gone to the bathroom at a place of work only to find a printed and laminated sign telling you: ‘if you sprinkle while you tinkle, be sweet and wipe the seat’?. That sign wasn’t put there to be decorative! It’s a scar from how people have treated the shared environment. We aren’t 5 years old and yet this is a common sign! If you think of the increasing number of health and safety regulations, laminated signs and disciplinary procedures - they are all scars from the past. In our businesses, the number of times something happens that cause an issue isn’t directly proportionate to ‘corrective action’. We can’t possibly throw down more paint because of one thing that went wrong - surely we’re better off investing in our culture and people to ensure these incidents don’t happen in the first place? In other words, go upstream to the real root cause, don’t wait for the accident armed with paint.
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