Butt Blinkers

Generally speaking, I think the human body is an amazing invention, and I'm thankful to my Creator for the overall design (well, OK, I know I have a washboard stomach under there somewhere; somebody just left the laundry on it).  There's only one question of anatomy I have for my Maker when I meet Him on Judgment Day:  Why didn't you add "butt blinkers"?

I get very frustrated when I'm walking behind somebody and they suddenly veer in front of me or come to a screeching stop, causing me to brake in frantic pedestrian style to avoid collision.  Let's face it:  If we were in cars, we'd be exchanging insurance information by this point.  Instead, if they have any courtesy whatsoever, they might grin sheepishly and apologize.  Most of the time, they are oblivious... or worse yet, rude.  I just think that God, in His infinite wisdom, could have designed blinkers on our posteriors that are hardwired to our brains, just to signal our intentions.  Of course, this suggestion creates a plethora of other issues, further confirming why He is God, and I'm very much not.

The issue of setting expectations, of communicating changes in expectations, and of making decisions based on expectations has been hitting my radar screen recently.  Patti Digh, one of my favorite blogging philosophers, had an insightful post about change and setting expectations in life.  DJ Dunkerley posted a rather amusing tongue-in-cheek assessment about project success and failure based on how much you know about tasks and how well expectations are set.

In project management, we're told that 90% of a project manager's time is to be spent communicating with various stakeholders.  I would add a corollary to that:  90% of the communication time is invested in constantly setting and resetting expectations.  Nobody likes to be blindsided... by unexpected project consequences or by walking-impaired invididuals with no butt blinkers.  Even bad news is a bit more palatable when we have an adequate heads up.  How well are you doing at setting (and resetting) expectations???

Technorati Tags: Human Anatomy, Butt Blinkers, Setting Expectations, Project Management, Project Communication, Patti Digh, DJ Dunkerley

Comments

[Mark True]

When you have kids - like my 5-year-old and my 9-year-old - you learn to look for little telltale signs that they're about to stop or turn...they're breathing! I'm amazed at the utter cluelessness they have. Or maybe it's amazing focus on some toy they have in mind in the store, so some gumball machine in the mall.

If you want to learn defensive driving on the road, follow a 5-year-old around Toys R Us!

[Timothy]

Very humorous, Mark... personally, my obstacle course consists of a kindergartener and a toddler. It's the adults, though, that continue to amaze me.