There are so many analogies out there for leadership, as well as questions and theories about where we put our focus. As leaders we are pulled in so many directions, from thinking about the immediate, reactive issues we need to address, through to the time we need to spend on the strategic priorities that will really drive the business forward.
In my various roles I’ve had to wear many hats, but as with all leadership models have noticed that we all have a preference. I was coaching some of the Directors who worked for me and found myself asking them how much time they spent “looking in the rear view mirror” when they were describing one of their issues.
Now I’m not much of a car enthusiast, but I found myself thinking about all the similarities between driving and leadership traits and focus so thought I’d share it.
For the context of this blog let’s assume there is a destination in mind. I appreciate that some people just enjoy driving and can might meander around (or speed recklessly) just for the love of it. However, in the context of leadership I would hope and expect that there is a vision of where we need to go and how we might get there, and that is the spirit in which these thoughts are shared.
Rear View Focus
I might as well start where these thoughts occurred to me, which was when coaching Directors who were very analytical, as was the nature of their roles and their technical focus in IT. They were amazing at reviewing what had happened last month, last quarter and last year and could provide all sorts of analytics to show trends and what had happened. This was great, but the challenge was how to use this understanding to influence where we were going.
It’s been more years than I care to remember since I took my driving lessons, but I seem to remember I was told to check my rear view mirrors every 30 seconds or so, or before any manoeuvre. It is definitely part of driving and helps you understand the complete environment to help you adjust your driving to inform your way forward. However, if I spent the majority of time looking in the rear view and not looking at the road ahead I’m pretty sure it would only be a matter of time before I veered off course or had a crash.
The balance is key, and the same applies in leadership. I’m a big advocate of learning lessons, and looking in the rear view mirror after recovering from an issue, reaching a milestone, as part of a performance review, or when making strategic decisions (to name but a few). Analysis of the past is an excellent source of information and learning. We can repeat the things that went well and ensure we don’t make the same mistakes again. Understanding what’s behind us can set a benchmark of how good things can be, as a starting point, or as a comparison for the future.
As a leader it is about understanding how much time we spend here. Too much and we’re unlikely to make the progress we could and can create an inert culture with little action. However, to ignore the rear view mirror would mean we have an incomplete picture and might mean our blind pursuit of reaching our destination involves a few more bumps along the way!
Car In Front or Destination Focused?
It seems pretty obvious but we always need to look ahead as leaders or as drivers! The question is how far ahead? We have to look at the car directly in front or at some point we’re going to have an accident, and the same applies in business and as leaders. The immediate focus is typically the coming month and is always critical, particularly in the modern world where immediate results are king (ask any FA Premier League football manager!).
As you learn to drive you soon realise that, when possible, you can’t just focus on the car in front and you learn to read all the other signs. In a game of chess you learn to think several moves in advance, and when driving we look a few cars ahead. You read the conditions of the road, look at the traffic signs and adjust your driving accordingly. You might even take a different route as you can see the traffic jam up ahead, and are likely to consider information from other sources such as the satellite navigation or the road reports on the radio. That rear view mirror might make an appearance too!
All of this seems pretty obvious, and it is, but how often is the focus on the long term destination, or is it mostly just on the car in front? When you’re stuck in traffic, frustrated, in a rush and can only see the bumper in front of you how do you manage to look further ahead and keep sight of the destination. Could you even have avoided being stuck?
In business, and as leaders, the need to hit immediate targets is compelling and critical for success, but are they getting in the way of the end goal? If all the focus is only on the month ahead, how will the business ever grow and develop? Where is the time for strategic thinking and ideas if we’re always rushing and only looking at the immediate issue or car in front. When the focus is so narrow how do we remind people where we’re heading and bring them with us on the journey?
Alternatively, have you planned your journey factoring in time and space and allowing for a few road blocks, bad weather with heavier traffic, and potential diversions? Have you even opted to take the scenic route and remove some of the immediate stress with the focus on the destination rather than the car in front? If you’re solely focused on the destination, how do you avoid the crash?
There’s a theme developing, and as always it’s about balance. The answer is that we need to have our eye on the car in front, the rear view window and the destination. When driving it becomes second nature, so the challenge is how we do all of these in a business context and as leaders.
Driving Style?
Knowing where you’re going, how to get there and where your attention is are all part of the driving analogy, but the driving style can seriously impact the experience for you, any passengers in the car or those in convoy behind you.
Speed and direction of travel?
Sometimes that extra ten minutes in bed in the morning is all too hard to resist, but what does it do for your journey into work? Are you calm and relaxed having set off early, or stressed and irritable after rushing to get in on time? Was it a slow and leisurely journey where you could enjoy the drive, or even a swift journey on empty roads?
The pace of travel can seriously impact motivation. In business and as leaders you need to allow the time to get where you need to be at a pace that keeps people with you. If you’re moving too quickly and with too many sharp turns on the way, your passengers might get car sick. Too slow and people might lose interest and dream of the cars flying past in the outside lane. Too meandering and people might lose sight of the destination.
Road rage?
Leading by example is such a key trait, and I know from my own experiences that a volatile leader can seriously impact the culture of an organisation. It can quickly and easily become a culture of fear where the mood of the office reflects that of the leader.
Those who succumb to road rage can frighten those around them even when it isn’t aimed at them. What messaging are we sending to our teams if this is how we behave?
The leaders (and I hope I was one of them) who communicate their concerns or the issues calmly, and who focus on the solution rather than reacting to the problem can generate tremendous team spirit. It isn’t a case of not dealing with the road rage, as we all need to deal with our emotions, but how it is managed. Being aware of those on the road with us is a key skill.
Do you indicate?
I don’t know if it’s just a Jersey issue, but I think using your indicators has become optional. I’m sure it was a requirement back when I passed my test.! It makes sense that if you can help people understand where you’re going you’re much more likely to get there without accidents and allow others to follow you.
Communicating our direction is actually pretty easy to do, either in a car or as leaders. Clear signalling is much more likely to mean those following can keep up with you, yet it’s still so often overlooked by so many. We might know where we’re going, but the danger is that we are increasingly so busy we don’t spend the time letting others know.
For those other drivers in Jersey (and most likely everywhere else!), if we all start indicating hopefully we’ll also cut down on the road rage!
Auto pilot?
How many times do you drive somewhere and realise you don’t even remember the last few minutes of the journey? Is your focus even on the road at all or are you completely distracted?
As we get more experienced as drivers we do a lot of things unconsciously and through muscle memory. We can do the same as leaders and just take some things for granted because we’re so familiar with them. It’s easy to forget to look at the detail or see the opportunity to bring others with us.
It may well be that the things we do unconsciously are the mundane parts of the role that just need doing, but how much time do these take out of your day, and are they serving you?
If you find you’re stuck on auto pilot more than not, is the role you’re in really stretching you? If you’re in cruise control others usually know. If you’re happy with this then great, but if you’re a leader then you are unlikely to be inspiring others or to grow yourself or the business. It might be worth thinking about switching back to manual.
So What?
A lot of words and very few answers! It’s about balance.
For each leader and business (and driver) the answer will be different depending on where you are on the journey, the pace of the business, the immediate and long term challenges and the leadership style and culture.
As leaders, what I’m suggesting is that we keep our eye on the road. We need to look in the rear view mirror to inform the way forward, consider all the conditions, let people know the destination, indicate when changing direction, and be conscious of our preferences. That way we won’t spend too much time focusing in the wrong places and, as a result, the journey for everyone will be smooth and get us where we wanted to be.
Safe travels!
Commenti