Why Some People Act and Others Just Wait

Ever had one of those days where everything’s riding on a single delivery—and then it all starts to wobble? This story involves a Mac, a taxi, and a surprising top tip about leadership and initiative. If you've ever wondered why some people leap into action while others just... wait around, you're in the right place.

Over the years I have gradually surrendered to Apple and am now firmly ensconced in their ecosystem. The mobile is an iPhone, the laptop is a MacBook Air and the Desktop is an iMac.

The transition has been gradual but I know exactly when it started. I ordered an Apple Mac to replace my Windows desktop that had died and the date it occurred is firmly etched into my head - 21st May 2016.

Not because I’m some sort of weird date or Apple nerd but because it was the FA Cup final that day and my team Manchester United (I live in Surrey of course) was in the final.

The Delivery Dilemma

The game was due to kick off at 5.30pm so I was hoping that my shiny new Mac would arrive in the morning. Then I’d be able to unpack it before heading out to watch the final with a couple of mates at the pub.

I’d specifically ordered it to be delivered on the Saturday so I could take delivery and set it up. On the Sunday I would back up my files, download the applications I need and spend a few hours learning how to use it. Then on the Monday I really needed to crack on with work.

Not sure why I thought it would arrive in the morning but I did expect it to. However, at about 1pm I turned on my brain and it dawned on me that I had no idea when the delivery would be happening. I could feasibly be sitting inside waiting all day.

I called John Lewis and was connected to a manager in the tech department. He was a nice guy but admitted that they were unable to give me an idea of when my delivery would happen.

The Problem with Waiting

You’ll remember that this had been normal for years and we all had to sit around waiting for the doorbell, but then as technology progressed we started to be given a bit more information and choice.

First it was the choice of a particular day.
Then it became a question of deciding between a morning or afternoon slot.
By 2016, however, I know that many companies allowed you to choose a specific hour. Or at least be told of the hour you could expect the delivery.

I mentioned this to the manager and he agreed that John Lewis should also be able to do this but currently it wasn’t possible. He was very apologetic.

I asked if he could double check my order to see if he could glean any sort of clue. At this point things started to unravel.

My order had somehow fallen off the system. It wasn’t due to be delivered any time at all that day. We could see that I’d paid but my order was sitting on its own with no despatch detail assigned. He was very apologetic.

“I’m not sure we’ve even got this item in stock,” he explained.

“Can you check?” I asked.

“Yes. Of course . . . erm, oh that’s okay actually, yes we do have it in stock. We’ve got two in fact.”

“That’s great news. Can you send one of them out for delivery?”

This was another problem. All the delivery vans were on the road. They were out delivering things he explained helpfully. He was very apologetic.

Finding a Solution

I explained that I was disappointed because I’d ordered the machine to be ready to use on Monday.

Again, he apologised profusely and said that he was sorry there wasn’t anything he could do.

Now at this point I got a little bit grumpy. I have this possibly unreasonable expectation that there is always something that can be done.

Instead I surreptitiously coached him into finding the answer. I asked a few questions like:

• “Hmm, if there was a solution what would it look like?”

• “If you wanted to get from where you are to where I am how might you go about that?”

• “If there was a way of getting the Mac to me how might that work?”

Basically I was just guiding him to suggest that he could put the flipping computer in a taxi and have it driven it to me.

A short while after we’d finished our conversation the manager emailed me. He told me that I could expect my delivery to arrive in the next hour in a taxi driven by a cabbie called Mac. I kid you not - my Mac was being delivered by Mac.

And Mac did a good job. He turned up with the box and handed it over. Job done.

The Match – and the Real Lesson

So I got to go to the game in good time. It was an entertaining match with plenty of drama and the end result I was hoping for. We beat Crystal Palace 2-1 and did everyone in the country a favour by stopping Alan Pardew from dancing (Google it).

Right, so what’s this story about? Why’ve I told you about getting the Mac delivered by Mac? Where’s the top tip?

Well it’s an opportunity to pull out the Freedom Ladder, lean it up against the wall and consider where the manager I spoke to was on it.

The Freedom Ladder Explained

The five rungs from bottom to top are:

1. Wait – people just sit and wait to be told to do stuff.

2. Ask – staff ask “What shall I do next?”

3. Check – people suggest ideas, e.g., “Would you like me to do this for you?”

4. Report Back – staff act, but tell the boss afterwards.

5. Free to Act – people have trust and freedom to act without checking.

My manager chap was, I’m afraid to say, on one of the lower rungs. Lovely guy that he was, he might even have been on rung number one. He didn’t make any of the suggestions that moved the situation on. I did all of the work.

Applying It to Work – and Home

Today’s top tip is to take some time and ensure that you know which rung you are working on. And that you’ve got an idea of where your colleagues or your staff are. And if they’re not on the appropriate level that you’ve got a plan to help them move up a rung.

Do they need more training? More resources? More opportunity? Mentoring?

This can apply at home too. Who is sitting on the bottom rung and never does the dishes? Conversely who is the one that reorders the kitchen towel without being asked?

The Freedom Ladder is a great tool for assessing initiative. Consider what you might need to do to get to the highest rung. And if you’re a leader, ask yourself how you’re helping your team move up the ladder – or whether you’re keeping them stuck.

If you found this helpful subscribe to the newsletter. Let me know in the comments – what rung of the Freedom Ladder are you usually on? And has anyone ever delivered your tech by taxi? Was it a guy called Mac!?