The relentless pressure to get things done has me constantly searching for shortcuts and efficiencies.

 

The more certainty I create around me, the easier it is to function. When decisions require less effort, they happen more smoothly.

 

Some decisions are trivial: finding toothpaste, switching on the kettle, recharging my mobile.

 

As the day progresses, decisions become more mentally taxing: choosing which meetings to attend, crafting a clear email, structuring a negotiation strategy. The more I build reliable routines and habits as mental shortcuts, the easier it is to navigate these demands.

 

Yet efficiency operates in tension with the human need to be acknowledged.

 

Dealing with people is different from handling tasks. Each person has distinct thoughts, attitudes, and beliefs. Who they present themselves as shifts from hour to hour, day to day.

 

We are constantly encouraged to be authentic, to express individuality. Increasingly, people seek recognition for their uniqueness: gender identity, dietary choices, personal philosophies. This is a positive evolution, yet it challenges efficiency and can foster an expectation that individuality takes priority over shared goals.

 

At the best of times, it takes real effort to be fully present with another person.

 

When working with someone, how many assumptions is it reasonable to make?

 

Do I need to acknowledge the barista’s individuality, or is simple gratitude enough?

 

As I move through airports, meetings, and product launches, how much uniqueness ought I recognise?

 

All day, I rely on pattern recognition to make decisions. Broad shoulders, narrow hips? A man. Uniform, tablet in hand? An employee. Change in facial expression? An emotion changed.

 

Pattern recognition helps me function but also risks reinforcing unfair biases. Eliminating bias—if even possible—would lead to cognitive overload. The best I can do is develop the practice to question faulty or unfair assumptions.

 

Sometimes, another person’s uniqueness is irrelevant to me.

 

But is that wrong?

 

Recognising someone’s individuality deepens connection, trust, and cooperation, thereby reducing friction in the system. Yet in organisational settings, where systemic thinking is required, efficiency can necessitate overlooking individuality.

 

Efficiency and uniqueness are often in competition.

 

If a company retreat includes a weekend day, should it be Saturday or Sunday? Sunday accommodates observant Jews. A Zoom call scheduled to suit colleagues 12 time zones away might disrupt a single parent’s bedtime routine.

 

There is no simple answer.

 

It seems to me that success, whether in leadership or everyday life, depends on knowing when efficiency matters most and when individuality does. Some interactions require only a functional exchange; others demand deeper presence. Balancing the need to move through life smoothly with the responsibility to respect others requires questioning assumptions and recognising which details deserve our attention.