In a clock, the small gears spin fast and the big ones barely move. Both are keeping time.

In a machine, speed and importance are unrelated. A tiny gear whips around while a big one barely seems to move, and if either stops the clock is wrong, so neither one is the real worker. Teams, families and classrooms are built out of both kinds. Some people are visibly busy and some are slow and structural, and the slow ones usually get mistaken for passengers.

Figure out which gear you are in right now, rather than which one you think you should be. Then find the person moving at the other speed this week and tell them you noticed what they do.