Over the weekend, I found myself in the passenger seat, my 16-year-old daughter taking the wheel, navigating the roads towards her driver’s license. A milestone that seemed distant when she made me a first-time dad.
Driving around town, my role shifted between observer, teacher, cheerleader, and at times, holding my breath. This experience reminded me of the role I have as a business advisor. Let’s explore the parallels between guiding my daughter behind the wheel and advising business clients:
Anticipation
I remind my daughter that a vigilant driver anticipates, acts, and responds to potential situations on the road. Similarly, advising business owners involves forecasting shifts in the market, strategizing for potential hurdles, and anticipating the road ahead.
Speed
My daughter, cautious and responsible, doesn’t exhibit a propensity for speeding – embracing a slow and steady approach for safety. I emphasize finding a balance; being overly cautious can be perilous. The push and pull of growth in business is similar. The journey between cautiousness and recklessness is like managing the pace of growth – reckless expansion or fear of progress both pose risks.
Mistakes
Any new endeavor will experience mistakes. Acknowledging and learning from mistakes is pivotal for improvement. In business, errors and setbacks are valuable lessons that can instill resilience and lead to innovation.
Other People
Encountering various drivers on the road, my daughter faces annoyance, patience, and indifference. I advise her to stay focused on safe driving, ignoring unnecessary noise. In business, tuning out unnecessary criticism, focusing on controllable factors, and adhering to the organizational mission is key.
Confidence
Instilling confidence in my daughter as she learns to drive is pivotal. Confidence fuels growth. Confidence in business allows you to overcome adversity, handle conflict, communicate effectively, and strengthen the business.
Do What Feels Right
As a parent, being in the passenger seat is challenging, yet I respect her control behind the wheel. Encouraging her to trust her instincts, I advise but understand that she must make decisions that feel right to her. Similarly, in advising businesses, I offer guidance while acknowledging that the final decisions rest with the business owners, respecting their instincts and autonomy.
The parallels between teaching my daughter to drive and guiding business owners reveal the universal principles of foresight, balance, learning from errors, navigating external influences, fostering confidence, and respecting autonomy. Both journeys, though different, underscore the importance of guidance, learning, and steering toward success in their respective roads.
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This song seemed like a no-brainer this week. Rascal Flatts' version of "Life is a Highway" from the movie Cars.
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