The Ripple Effect

A couple of weeks ago, I was traveling on Interstate 20 from my sister-in-law's home in Georgia to our home in Louisiana. The trip was long and covered multiple states, but we were making remarkably good time.

Until... Jackson, Mississippi.

As we hit the outskirts of town, we saw a traffic snarl up ahead — too late to exit and detour. There was only one choice — trudge ahead. The road signs said "Construction Ahead."

For the next two hours, we sat in bumper-to-bumper traffic. Some around us were switching lanes with hopes of making greater progress, but they were only adding to the problem as a four-lane (one way) road was being merged into one lane.

To add insult to injury, a major interchange was merging onto I-20 right at the point of the lane reduction. Traffic was literally backed up for miles.

Traffic was more "stop" than "go," and we wondered what construction could be causing so much of a backup. Surely it was a long span of one lane traffic — we were wrong.

When we finally merged into a single lane and drove past the point of our frustration, we learned road crews were working on a patch of highway no bigger than my office. Seriously?

Like the open end of a funnel, traffic flowed freely just beyond this road work.

Two hours for this?

With all that time to observe the traffic flow (or lack thereof) I noticed that things could have flowed much better had they merged the traffic a lot earlier.

Part of the problem with the flow was the fact that vehicles could attempt to weave in and out of lanes prior to the actual merge. Had the merge taken place a mile or so sooner, that problem could have been avoided.

I wonder what meetings and appointments were missed as a result of this poor planning and decision making. How was the economy affected? How were lives affected?

The Mississippi Department of Transportation's decision had ripple effects throughout many lives and businesses that day.

As leaders, we need to understand that every decision we make (or don't make) has ripple effects all around us.

The time a leader arrives to work has an impact on his team.

The decision a business leader makes about an opportunity or challenge impacts his business, his community and perhaps his industry.

What seems like a small decision may have far-reaching consequences, both good and bad.

While it is virtually impossible to predict every ripple, awareness of the potential impact of our decisions is key to developing as a leader.

What you decide to do matters.

Until Next Time...