It would be nice if we could just sit in the middle of the two in-trays, right and left, and let the time pass.
Time is not bad at problem solving, as anybody who has gone on holiday for a while without looking at emails, and has realised that the sky has not fallen, could assert. In the extreme this is a laissez-faire joke, a cynical view of events and a universal anecdote that you could attribute to any leader you know who seem to take advantage of the god Chronos.
There is however some serious merit just a little bit underneath the joke. It’s called reflection And it’s becoming something on a short supply. In fact, we react too much.
We react to an employee engagement survey, now, or we will be seen as inconsiderate to the workforce. The reactive activity seems to be more important than the non-digested meaning
We react to customer satisfaction surveys, and net promote scores and, owners of outlets to tripadvisor stars.
Well, is that not the point?
It is, but between the ‘time will solve’ in-tray and the ‘time has solved one’, should be another one called ‘can I have a break please?’ in-tray. Just a small one.
In fact, romancing Chronos is the best managerial skill one can have. If Chronos is your real friend, Ares, the god of war will have to wait; Hygiea, the goddess of health will be incredibly happy, and Nike, the god of strength, speed and victory will tell you ‘just do it’ exactly at the right time.