Winning Workplaces

As you probably know, if you've read this blog for a while, since August I've worked for Chicago-based Winning Workplaces out of a home office in Los Angeles. That's right, I'm among the roughly 28% of workers who telecommute.

What you don't know is that I live in a fairly high-traffic area, only blocks from the Hollywood Walk of Fame. This means that for a good portion of the day, including into the evening, I hear everything you'd expect from people competing to get to their destination on a congested road – near-crash screeches, all manner of honking, and occasional car-to-car shouting.

I've become used to the din. In fact, when I'm working I tune it out completely by listening to local radio station The Sound on the Internet. But, like Virginia Madsen's character in Sideways and wine, I sometimes think about the lives and motivations of the folks in the cars and trucks below me. And I've thought of some lessons that heavy traffic can teach about trying to get ahead in this crazy world we call business:

It's not about the packaging, but the aptitude and skill of the person inside. I've seen stellar driving from Dodge Neons and dreadful turns by Ferraris. Likewise, in business, someone in a JCPenney suit can present a better business plan than someone clad in Armani.
Gunning it and taking it slow and steady can lead to the same outcome. You know what I'm talking about: a "weaver" in a sporty car or truck thinks he or she owns the road. Yet, they often end up at the same place at a light as traffic moving at normal speed. In business, a pushy salesperson might get to the "No" faster than a more unassuming employee, but who's learned more along the way to turn that lead or others around in the future?
The rules of the road don't just apply when getting started on it. When I drive I try to follow traffic regulations every day, not just when I take my driver's test. Obviously, though, many drivers only think of them when they cause an accident or get pulled over for speeding. As we have seen especially over the past year on Wall Street, ignoring rules and regulations can cause damage to the business itself, plus a lot of innocent bystanders (read: taxpayers).
Road rage is almost never constructive. The California Driver Handbook says it's much better to take your foot off the gas, breathe, and reassess when things get heated. When talking about workplace team building and employee engagement, how many front-line workers would perform better if more bosses followed this advice, even flipping the stereotype by looking for things done right instead of wrong?

Thinking about the activities for employee engagement in your company, what traffic analogies come to mind? (What would you add to this list?)