People-Centric Skills, 2nd Edition

CHAPTER 1The People-Centric Journey Begins Anew

INTRODUCTION

Dalton finally settles into his seat on American Airlines flight 330, now delayed for three hours due to … who knows what the excuse is today. As a too-frequent traveler (and someone who loves control), he has given up on attempting to comprehend many things he cannot control. Happy to get an upgraded seat, he prepares for takeoff by gulping down a Tito's and soda, not taking the time to savor the flavor (or lack thereof). Regardless of the fact that he travels close to 200,000 miles a year, he never seems to get used to being on a plane—and out of a position of control. He very rarely sleeps in transit, so he plans to use his plane time wisely and goes through his running (and never-ending) task list.

At times, Dalton has overextended himself, even if he controls his own schedule. He fights a constant battle between having quality time and earning the money that enables him to have quality time. Tonight, he is heading from Sacramento to Orlando, but due to delays, he is routing through Miami and not directly to Walt Disney World. Instead of landing at the originally scheduled time of 5:00 am, this gets him in at 10:30 am—definitely a challenge to speaking coherently to an audience of 450 risk professionals at 1:00 pm. He has always viewed problems like these as self-imposed challenges and had fun with the circumstances.

One of the reasons Dalton took on this ambitious schedule is that it will give him the opportunity ...