The power of the curvy line

It is said that the shortest distance between 2 points is a straight line. The business inference is about taking the most direct and fastest route.

I think about this quote when driving with my husband – I wish he would use a straight line when driving from point A to point B. When we drive anywhere, it requires getting out of our town (Springfield), getting through the next town, and getting onto the interstate. There is a direct “straight” way to do this – but he never does that. Instead, he goes through neighborhoods on 25 mph streets, avoiding red lights: left, right, left, right, left, left, left, left – I am convinced we do go in circles at times. I tease him about this: “whenever going anywhere, it’s important that we stay in Springfield as long as possible…”

When he is in a grocery store however, it’s a different story. No one else I know can buy $200 worth of appropriate groceries and be in and out of that store in under 5 minutes – but he can.

I asked him why the “scenic” route when driving and he said he hates standing still at the many stop lights between points A and B. He feels if he is moving, even in circles, he is getting somewhere.

That actually makes sense when you think about leading teams.

How many times, when negotiating a solution or planning a process, does it seem like you are going in circles as you discuss “what should be done” with the key stakeholders? How many times do you feel you know the way, and wish you could just put it in place and be done? 

But you work with your team through the problem and eventually, the plan gets done and implemented. Additionally, your team was engaged and following along because they were part of its development and had a stake in its success. Even if the solution is close to what you had imagined it should be, would you have had the same cooperation and buy in without that negotiation with all affected? Would the solution have “stuck”? That time you spent “going in circles” was not wasted. You were guaranteeing success by developing buy-in.

A straight line is best when the action can’t be negotiated: you must stop at the red light. But for lasting success involving a teams’ work product, a curvy line is not only the best informed – it is also often the most direct and longest lasting.