Driver's Ed and Leadership

I have a 15 year-old who recently embarked on a journey sure to terrify any parent…the journey to getting a driver’s license. Sure, I’m excited for him, but I also remember my dad’s words to me when we went to practice driving for the very first time: “Drive like every other b*****d on the road is trying to kill you.”

Um….ok.

My dad didn’t use that language every day, so it made an impression on me, and I remembered it!

What I also remember is my first official driving lesson with my instructor. He sat in the driver’s seat, started down the road, then told me that he wouldn’t move the steering wheel off-center unless I told him to.

Within 5 seconds we were headed into oncoming traffic.

“Right!”, I screamed.

He moved the wheel to the right.

“Left!”, I shouted.

Left we went.

“A little right…a little left…a little right…..left….right…”

After 15 minutes I was completely exhausted. I had nothing left. At that point, he stopped the car, and explained to me that driving wasn’t just setting the car in motion in a certain direction. It was setting the car in motion toward a specific target, then making a series of adjustments based on road conditions, direction, traffic and unexpected events that surface as you drive. It was a dynamic, not static.

As leaders, we are often asked to set our teams in motion toward a specific target. To be certain, we need goals and targets to accomplish anything! At the same time, we’d be wise to remind ourselves, and our teams, that our ultimate success will depend on our ability to make the micro, and even macro adjustments necessary to reach our destination safely and effectively.

As I’ll soon remind my son, “There are plenty of drivers out there not paying attention…don’t be one of them!”