Driving - not much different than running an organization!!!

When I hear of the driver-less vehicles OR uberization of transport, I always wonder will it really reduce the number of people who would own the car in future? Do people use these 4-wheels only for commutation? If the answer to the latter is ‘yes’ then the answer to the former one would more likely be ‘Yes’ as well.

Regardless of that, for me driving is fun. It is an activity that makes me feel in control of at least something in life. But on top of that, every time I am driving, I and up connecting what happens on the road with the corporate leadership. Here are few of those things that I have deliberated numerous times behind the wheel.

Know what you are driving - One shall always understand what you are driving – a bus (large organization), a van (mid-size organization), or a small car. All three will adopt a different culture. While on the bus, co-passengers will have a chance to interact with a large number of people, you, as a driver, may not be able to maneuver it abruptly. Also, a bus may become suffocating for its riders if it has a foul environment (bad culture or politics). On the other hand, the number of resources you may have in a small car will always be limited. You’ll have to take frequent stops to refuel but it will give you the agility to maneuver and change direction without much difficulty. So understanding the size and type of the organization is the most important thing.

The legacy of the car matters - It’s always critical to understand the functioning of the car before you start driving it. Sometimes a regular looking car may not be as easy to drive as you may expect. Regardless of how similar the cars are, each one would give different feeling while driving because of the way they were driven in the past. Similarly, don’t let culture eat your strategy & understand organizational limitations.

So, understand the amount of pressure that has to be applied to the gas, break, or clutch to change the gear and get to the optimum or maximum speed. You may have driven a truck earlier, but you’ll have to tweak your style when driving a smaller car. Similarly, going beyond the maximum speed will get you warnings – the car may start wavering, but if you continue to drive past it, you would be lucky if you get the traffic ticket before the car or the organization falls apart.

Know where to or why you are driving- While driving, we follow a path to reach a goal OR just wander around to enjoy the scenery - whatever is the purpose of driving, we have to very clear at the start and so do the organization. While leading the organization, define your purpose before you take a step – it will bring conviction & enjoyment in the journey. So ensure you have your goals defined for the best results and experience.

Be prepared to employ various driving tactics as the condition demands – On the road, you may be following other cars or leading them. Following works great when the path ahead is unknown to you. On the known path, we change the lane (differentiate), in the same direction though, to get ahead. While leading, we have to be careful if somebody is following us persistently. If it is a bigger vehicle, it is always better to move away, instead of being swept away. It’s not difficult to see why we may want to behave similarly while leading organizations and therefore strategies tactically as well as for long term.

Also, when driving, we are always vigilant about who we are following. Slow or new drivers may obstruct our way indefinitely. The same thing may happen with the organizations.

Your co-passengers have a huge impact on the overall experience - When on a long drive, as organizations generally are, ensure you pick the right person to sit in the front seat with you. A wrong person may doze off and we know how contagious, and in turn dangerous, it is while driving. Also having a right set of enthusiastic people in the back seat will make your journey enjoyable. So it is not hard to imagine why we need to have a right team in place when we are driving our organization towards its goals because your team matters most.

Respect pits and speed-breakers, tread carefully - When driving, there may be sudden speed-breakers and pits, it’s always safer to slow down and maneuver through them in the first gear, instead of being egotistic and flying over them in the fourth gear. Similarly, while leading organizations, there will be regulatory obstructions, organizational challenges - Slow down, take stock of the situation and maneuver carefully. Trying to fly by them at regular speed, may cause more wear & tear for the car and hurt the one or many parts of your organization in the long drive. So, carefully deal with interruptions & obstructions.

Be circumvent of surroundings, an unwanted thing can come from anywhere - When driving, you are carrying a moving weapon on the road, your one mistake with the wheel will not only affect you but also many others around you, in the vehicle or outside. Also, always keep an eye on the side and rear-view mirrors. Dangers may come from anywhere. Similarly, in the organizations, each of our acts and decisions affects our employees, clients, as well as society at large. So we need to be cautious of what we do and mitigate our risks.

The list of similarity goes on and every time I am behind the wheels these thoughts keep unraveling newer ones.

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#leadership #management #driving #philosophy