Information – the lifeblood of a functioning society
I and my wife travelled over the weekend to meet the folks halfway as my dad had slaughtered chickens and we had to receive our share of the harvest.
As we live 400km apart, we each usually travels halfway to make it easier for the other.
We encountered road works on the way and had to pass through four stop points, each under the auspices of a worker from the construction company.
Each time we stopped, motorists voiced their displeasure at the fact that we could not ascertain how long the wait would be. When asked, the workers would reply with a standard “15 minutes” ,which it turned out, could be between five and thirty minutes.
The frustration of the motorists illustrated modern man’s need for information to make decisions. None of us had a problem waiting twenty or thirty minutes, as long as we knew how long it would be and the contractors kept to the time schedule.
One of the workers, however, showed an understanding of communication and the value of information. When we stopped, she approached us and explained that she had to let through five cars from the opposite side. She explained that three had already passed and she would let us through as soon as the remaining two had gone through. Needless to say, there was no frustration and no irritated motorists.
People need to know, because then they can make an informed decision about what their reaction should be and how they should handle a situation.
Full marks for a labourer who used her initiative and made one stop a relaxing experience for frustrated motorists.
If you do nothing else today, communicate.