When Is It Time To Be Flexible?

Life these days is becoming less and less flexible. So often we hear things like “no compromise”, “don’t settle”, “zero tolerance”, “never stop” and other slogans that I know are intended to be inspirational and to push people on to greater success. I’ve been through difficult times as much as anyone, and I know about perseverance and sacrifice to make things happen.

BUT, sometimes I think these aphorisms are used as an excuse for a lot of things, including stubbornness and simple bad ideas. There is ALWAYS a time to change your mind to make room for better ideas. You shouldn’t need a big excuse to treat other people with respect and God forbid sometimes a little understanding or even (shudder) forgiveness, especially if you’ve ever made a mistake in your life time.

I’m not gonna get all preachy on you here, but this does apply to engineering technology. Very often people come to me with a problem, and when I offer a solution (or more usually, a range of solutions), they already have a reason why that won’t work for them. And of course, I can’t begin to understand that reason. It’s usually that their problem was so complex and unique that I never understood it in the first place, or they for some reason don’t understand stock solutions that already exist in the software or common techniques.

Yes, there is a time to be rigid, but that comes after you’ve learned everything and already know all the answers. Until that time, you will benefit from flexibility and the ability to imagine new scenarios based on new information. Some people have a hard time hearing that new information and incorporating it into their situation. Like the guy who runs out of paper because every time he makes a mistake, he crumples up the sheet and throws it away. He didn’t understand what that pink rubber thing on the end of his pencil was for.

So next time someone offers you a solution for a problem you have presented them, have the respect to actually think about it, and try to imagine that solution being implemented. Try to imagine that you have learned something. Try to imagine that you have relented from your tireless quest for whatever you seek, and believe that someone else might have an answer for you. Persevere, yes, but be open to new solutions and ideas, and even compromises. Your work – your life – will be better for it.