Do you Drive Your Life like your car?

Well do you?

Firstly I have Andy Edwards to thank for the inspiration to write this article. His superb article How you do anything is how you do everything summed up the Advanced Life Driving System. Our belief is that by applying the principles of advanced life driving daily to your business and your personal behaviour everyday will result in smooth fast progress to your chosen goal – whilst enjoying the ride along the way. Your business and professional journey is through an ever changing landscape that demands skill, quick reactions and a plan to navigate towards your chosen destination. It wouldn’t take long for me to assess your leadership style from your driving style because as Andy says ‘how you do anything is how you do everything’ Here are three examples:

Speed Awareness

You have seen them I am sure, the driver who revs up the car at the stop light and then zooms all of 100 yards to the next junction jamming on the brakes. Then repeats this at every opportunity. Do you really think this leader when leading a team will make smooth, considered and effective interventions or will they much like their car – wear their team out with their constant on/off approach to leadership ?

No empathy for an expensive machine probably equates to no empathy for a talented and loyal team. If occasionally you can drive like this perhaps remember – smooth is always the fastest route to any destination.

Objective Obsessed

A personal favourite of mine because I thank my lucky stars I am not in their team. You know the ones, hands grimly clutching the steering wheel even at a stand still in case another driver has the audacity to get in front of them ! Now when this driver turns up at the office you know how it goes…..they ask how was your weekend and before you have finished the first sentence they are launching into a list of tasks, objectives and reports to be completed that week. Not the most effective leadership style is it ?

Everyone needs to be a mind reader

Here they come swooshing around a roundabout – probably objective objective obssesed and without a thought for the environment around them. The last thing on their mind is indicating why ? I am too busy getting where I am going. Great on your own at 2 in the morning without a vehicle in sight, not so clever in the middle of rush hour. In fact it also slows you down. Watch an emergency services vehicle carve through traffic, with lights and horns on , using eye contact and gestures as well to make fast, safe progress. Thats the trick and surely your team and your business want to make fast, safe progress. So leave the mind reading to stage acts if you want your team to follow you be clear in your signals and intent and check their understanding.

Finally the picture at the head of this article was chosen because he looks like a great driver looking in his mirror. How often do you review data or the environment in a 360 degree manner or do you have a focus on the 180 degrees or so that your forward vision allows. Believe me there is a lot more going on than that.

Drive Life well – Enjoy the Ride