Can I watch you work?
There are people I would happily watch doing their job for an hour.
I would probably ask enough questions to make it two.
A chef tasting something and knowing exactly what to add. A photographer moving half a step and finding the angle. A mechanic listening to an engine and recognising something I haven’t even heard.
I find competence fascinating.
Especially the moment someone says, “Look here,” and suddenly I can see a detail that was there all along.
For a few seconds, I get to borrow their eyes.
That is a wonderful reason to be curious about another person’s work.
In dressage, I can watch a preparation and notice details that influence what happens next.
Put me beside someone with years of experience in another field, and I enjoy discovering what attracts their attention.
What are they looking for? What makes them adjust something? How do they recognise when it is right?
The answers can be surprisingly specific. A sound. A fraction of a second. The way a material responds. Something they have learned to distinguish through years of paying attention.
And once they point it out, I want another look.
This is something I would love to see more of when people work together: spending a little time becoming interested in how the other person actually does what they do.
“Show me” is an excellent place to begin.
It gives us something concrete to discuss. I can ask a better question because I have seen what you mean. You can explain a choice by letting me observe the difference.
There is pleasure in that, too. The kind that makes a working conversation unexpectedly absorbing.
I could happily lose track of time listening to someone explain a detail they care about.
So, if we work together, there is a good chance I will ask to watch.
You may have to remind me that I also have a job to do.😜
Silvia
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