Learning how to speak to people about being more productive at work—without making them feel defensive—can be challenging. I’ve found that speaking to adults in a visual way helps them better understand both their flaws and the bigger picture. Sometimes, using analogies that they can visualize allows them to pause and reflect—thinking, “Wait… is that me?” There have been times during in-service trainings where I’ve used what I call the pink tire analogy.
Here’s how it goes:
I stood in front of the class and asked, “How many of you have tires on your cars?” Everyone raised their hands, looking surprised, like, Why is she asking this?
So I said, “I just want to know—how many of you need or use tires?”
They all agreed: yes, of course, they use and need tires.
Then I continued, “Okay, let’s say you go to the tire shop. You need four tires. They have three regular tires for $100 total. But for the fourth tire, they only have one left. It is pink. It’s flashy, it’s beautiful, it stands out. But… it may not work all the time. Some days it might roll just fine. Other days, it might not work at all. And it’s going to cost you an additional $1,500.”
The class laughed and started saying, “That’s crazy,” “Why would I buy a tire that doesn’t work, even if it looks good?” “I’ll keep the other three and go somewhere else!”
Exactly.
So why do we think it’s okay to provide care to a patient when we show up looking good—but not acting the part? When we walk into a room on our phones, not happy to be there, just going through the motions—what kind of service are we really providing? There are others there, doing their part. But here we are – being a pink tire!
Should patients just accept any kind of care? There are those who have had a bad day, but come in and treat patients good anyway. There are those, who cost a lot of money and don’t take care of the patients. They look good, but the job is not getting done. Shouldn’t we always give our best?
I looked around and said, “Now, I’m not talking about everyone. But I am talking about those moments, those times, and yes, sometimes those people, who don’t give 100% of their effort.”
What I’m saying is this: Don’t be the pink tire.
By Nikisha White