Summer is in full swing, and we’re on a pilgrimage to the Jersey shore. (Yes, we do live in the majestic bay area, and yes, we do eagerly schlep the 3,000 miles for an annual dose of the “shore.”) ‘Schlep,’ of course, is the operative word. Along with the schlep comes a phrase my kids use over and over again along the 12-hour, door-to-door journey: “How much longer will it take?” It’s their own version of “are we there yet?” which of course they know that we’re not. I suspect this is why they don’t express their anxiousness with so common a phrase.
I was recently asked the same question, “How much longer will it take?” by a colleague, except the depth of meaning in his words and facial expression caught me way off guard. (Off guard isn’t exactly right. It was more like frozen in place, and I continue to play it over and over in my mind.) His question connects with last week’s Conflicted entry.
We were in a session discussing the mass career customization (mcc) rollout, and I mentioned that I was mentally working to resolve my ‘conflict.’ He turned to me and uttered that familiar question in a quiet pitch with eye contact and meaning that spoke a thousand subtle, impactful words.
His message was clear and undeniable: there are a lot of people within our firm and beyond that are watching us with eager intent; that people are looking for some organization (and by extension, someone) to come up with a better way; that so many are counting on mcc to structurally resolve the workplace-workforce misalignment dilemma; that, in short, it matters.
And, well, that your (my) hang up is trivial in scale. So just get over it—and get on with it. Ok, I get it. Slapped silly by a few nominal words and one power-packed stare. I’m all-in. Now, how about you?
Cathy
By blogger Cathy Benko, Deloitte LLP
