I once worked for a company who's CEO was awfully proud of the fact that he practiced "Management By Walking Around". He was actually so proud of it, he mentioned it as if he were the inventor of the phrase. Kind of makes me think of that scene in Austin Powers when Dr Evil says (of his Father) "He would make outrageous claims like he invented the question mark" but I'm going off topic.

What this guy didn't realize is that behind his back, people made fun of him and would clarify that his style was more like . . .

"Management by rushing around"!

He would rush passed your desk, ask you how you were doing and move on. He wouldn't listen to you, would barely make eye contact with you and did a great job of not connecting with you.

One day, he asked the wrong dude how he was doing. Here's the reply (and the guy wasn't being a smartass, it was the truth)

"Well I've been better, my Dad died suddenly of a heart attack 2 weeks ago and its my first day back"

The CEO (and you can't make this stuff up) said "Alright. Gotta run" and he left. Note: In that moment I believe he took on the form of a ninja because he freakin vanished.

My co worker looked at me and I will never forget that look. It was the look of someone who just lost faith in humanity!

Now this is a really extreme example of the lack of depth that many of us can become guilty of if we allow ourselves to.

In our defense . . .

Sometimes when we are skimming the 100 + emails a day, trying to get all our calls in, racing to appointments, trying to make quota, conquer the world and navigate thru what experts call "An overabundance of stuff"

We are putting life before depth and in the process

Miss an opportunity to be human.

It would absolutely blow your mind to know how many things might be sailing over your head on a regular basis.

I've said it before, and I will continue to say that everyone has a story and wants to be heard.

The challenge is that you have to

S L O W D O W N

Listen (to learn and not just to respond)

Be present as in not multi tasking or otherwise messing around with your blackberry (guilty on this one until my wife set me straight 3 years ago)

And you have to care enough to at least try

Oh, and this isn't some warm and fuzzy group hug stuff folks . . .

It's a surefire way for us to stand out and reactivate our membership in humanity!

Today, we are all invited to slow down and refuse to let life come before depth!