Run Away Car

I watched a funny video on YouTube recently. A lady was walking down the road and she saw a car rolling down with no one in the driver’s seat. Sensing the danger, she quickly jumps into action by forcing the car to stop by her hands. However, the car kept pushing forward and she wondered what she has to do next in order that the car does not roll on.

She ran in front and picked up a huge stone and placed it near the front tyre and forced the car to come to a dead halt. She was very happy that she has done a great job and with a smile, she started to walk forward and then only noticed that “there was a man pushing the car” from the back. Obviously, the car had a breakdown and this driver was pushing it to the garage close by. While the lady was not aware that the car was being pushed, she only saw a Run-Away Car and took action to stop.

When I saw this clip while I had a good laugh but also started to think. How many times I have been seeing things from my perspective without looking at the other side. During Crucial meetings with others, we always tend to look at our side without looking at the points that others are advocating.

This normally causes a rift and differing opinions which eventually causes anger to raise. We end up not achieving the results we are looking for. There are famous quotes like “Do unto others, as you expect others to do unto you,” or when we are in conversations, “we need to have a positive regard for the person(s) with whom we are in conversation.”

This would result in greater understanding, and we start to respect other’s “Point of View” and invariably achieve greater results in our personal and professional lives. In the long run, we will also have a better relationship built with them.

People tend to follow one of two ineffective paths when conversations turn crucial. This includes speaking directly and abrasively to get the results they want but harm relationships, or they remain silent with the hope of preserving relationships only to sacrifice results.

Are you struggling in these areas? Are you stuck and not achieving the results you are after? Do you have challenges in building relationships? Then I strongly suggest that you join “Crucial Conversations” course.