Have you ever seen a minecart chase in a movie? Like the one in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, for example? The heroes must escape from an underground dungeon, but how to get through the vast network of twists, turns, and tunnels? Aha! An abandoned minecart. They hop in and a frantic ride begins.
Besides the enemy chasing them, the heroes will struggle with obstacles, the minecart going too slow, too fast, or almost going off the rails. Every now and then, there might even be a gap in the track, which they’ll have to jump over. And if one thing goes wrong? They’ll crash, their chances of fleeing dashed in a millisecond.
Working with other people can be like a minecart chase. Let’s say you’re an organized, diligent worker, and you usually do your stuff ahead of time. That’s you, getting into the minecart right at the beginning. You ride, you control the speed, and you know where you want go.
Your team, too, wants to get to the same destination. So, one after the other, they hop in. But not everyone joins at the same time. Not everyone has the same information about the project you do. People get on, get off, and start asking questions. “Should I use the brake or not? How fast can we go into this corner?” More people can make the cart wobbly. Some folks want to slow down, others want to speed up. Others still only ever address to-dos at the very last second.
That last kind of working, “just-in-time,” as people like to dress it up, is particularly tricky. It’s as if someone jumps into your minecart from above right before a critical juncture. With a new mass and velocity, it becomes highly likely your cart won’t make the next jump. If it’s too late, what’s supposed to be shipped won’t be ready, and that leads to delays, angry partners, or a scolding from the higher-ups.
But as you might also have seen in the movies, sometimes, letting the minecart crash is not a bad thing. It could pop our heroes right into an underground pond from which they can swim out of the cave. Or drop them in front of the tunnel that leads to the exit. In any case, it gives them a chance to regroup and form a new plan of action. Finally, they’re not going at lightning speed.
When the minecart stops, it gives us room to think. Sometimes, you might not need that room, but others do. If you’re one of the ones feeling anxious on other people’s behalf a lot, consider letting the minecart crash. Allow everyone to reassess, and build again from there. Chances are, you’re not paid enough to worry, but you all deserve to get out of the cave and bask in the sunlight of your success.
