You know that shopping trolley with the wobbly wheel? The one that rattles and pulls slightly to one side.
You don't abandon your shopping because of it. You don't suddenly become incapable of buying bread and milk, do you? Nope, you carry on.
It's just irritating. Every few metres it reminds you it's there.
Most of us have the equivalent somewhere in our lives.
Not a major flaw or life-altering weakness.
Just something that makes things harder than they need to be.
Maybe it's putting off difficult conversations.
Maybe it's poor planning.
Maybe it's struggling to manage your time, organise your workload, or deal with conflict.
This might look different for each of us, but I'm sure something came to mind as you were reading...
You can still do your job and achieve results. Just as you can still push a trolley with a dodgy wheel.
But by the end of the day, you've spent more energy than necessary getting to the same destination.
That's one of the most overlooked aspects of personal and professional development.
People often think development is about adding something new like a qualification or a course. A new skill even...
And yes, sometimes it is.
But sometimes the biggest improvement comes from fixing the thing that's quietly creating friction.
Things like:
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The manager who learns to communicate more clearly often discovers that meetings become easier, misunderstandings decrease, and accountability improves.
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The employee who learns to prioritise effectively doesn't necessarily work harder. They simply stop wasting energy on the wrong things.
Nothing dramatic changes overnight.
The trolley still looks the same. It just moves a lot more smoothly.
The question isn't always, "What do I need to add?"
Sometimes it is, "What's making this harder than it needs to be?"
Because removing a source of friction can be just as powerful as gaining a new skill.
Staff Training is a South African soft skills training provider with over 80 workshops that help individuals and teams identify and develop the skills that make work easier, relationships stronger, and performance more effective. To learn more, email info@stafftraining.co.za or call 0861 996 660.
