If you live and drive
in Lagos, you will have had your fair share of other drivers veering
into your lane – whether with honest ignorance or with intentional
ignorance (I term this arrogance). Depending on your level of
togetherness - as a culture or at the time of incident, your response
could range from a silent swivel of your puzzled head to the seeming
nerve-calming expressions of your vocal cords. I could never explain
this phenomenon to (one of the best line managers money cannot buy -)
Josselin while he was Nigerian.
Pathetic
as it seems, some of us who are fully aware of the dangers of veering
off your predefined lane still have our moments when we live in the
reality of being the culprit – whether as a protest to the initiating
culprit or for some ‘explainable’ reason on losing ourselves
momentarily.
How many people will arrive at destinations if
everyone veered off - every time? How more chaotic will it be if
everyone was driving at a 100km/hr while veering off?
Can we take
this notches higher? Considering the speed of an airplane, the plethora
of other items pilots deal with (lets tackle turbulence some other time)
; would you imagine how catastrophe in a plane veering off the its
coordinates by say 5 degrees?
Thankfully, a car has a steering
wheel designed to give hints on what direction the wheels are facing per
time. A lot of times road markings and signs, kerbs and sometimes a
simple glance out the windshield helps nudge the mind on how straight or
curved the road ahead is and thankfully alignments always ensure
positive results. An airplane is blessed with the inertia guidance
system (INS) and air traffic control that always ensures you and I
arrive safely, on time and at the right destinations.
A lot of
times a good and careful driver has to make consistent and slight
adjustments to the steering wheel in alignment to the course of the road
set ahead. This is similar to the concept pilots achieve flying with. I
call it COURSE CORRECTING!
We are indeed the drivers or pilots of
our lives. Our daily necessities deaden the need to course correct
every once in a while. Our loaded, strength and time sapping routines
loudly silences the rationality of a course correcting moment or the
energy required to have one. Slowly but steadily, we drift away from
having consciously solid relationships. Intentional and undistracted
time pockets to edify our mind and spirit are rarities. Healthier food
choices elude us. Our personal inhibitions and emotions per time robs us
of deeper contacts and results. That momentary decision to be
unconcerned with our deep yearnings or right action beyond the hurt or
personal discomfort felt. That one piece of item littering your space
that adds another until it has a name – clutter.
As drivers or pilots, how do we retrace our steps?
A non-exhaustive guide to course correcting
1. Get
a source of inspiration and stay connected. The project manager in me
likens this to the Initiating process group. A driver or pilot usually
relies on an ‘inspiration database’ of some sort. Be it the driver’s
knowledge of the routes, google map or plain old simple road signage and
markers. Airplanes usually have air navigation databases and
coordinates to begin with. Define your source and stick to it. It could
be an overall source that gives overarching direction or you may need to
localize this. My only caveat is that one never gets inspired beyond
the capacity of one’s source.
2. List and organize the areas
you would want to be more effective at. Get the right metrics to measure
yourself by. This reeks of the Planning process group of project
management. With the source identified and the specific destinations and
navigation pathways aligned, you are in business. It is critical to
gather and determine what your critical success measurement factors will
be before you set out as this will ensure that they are unwavering due
to situations along the way. How else would we measure success if we do
not set benchmarks? Set course correcting reminders for yourself on the
listed items. Surround yourself with people who help you get critical
devoid of those emotions that could cloud your thoughts. Set markers
around you – vision boards, images and audios of your destination as
constant reminders.
3. Act, measure and correct. The
executing, monitoring and controlling process group all play in this
number. The driver and pilot will first need to objectively compare the
degree of alignment. This would have to be done with a clear mind, no
wonder there are alcohol limits for pilots and people are generally
advised not to drive when drunk. Being drunk impairs one’s sense of
judgement just as our emotions does. To accurately course correct
sobriety is a necessity. The real work here is to find what jolts you
into the right frame of mind as without the right frame, a picture is
less defined. Adjust on the move. It would not always be painless. True
sacrifice bleeds. Triumphing over your inhibitions will birth one thing -
the you no one else can be.
The strength of an
illusion is inherent on how convincingly it mirrors normalcy. Do not let
your goals elude you. Course correct – constantly!
#PeopleDevelopment #Goals #CareerGoals #CareerDevelopment #ProjectManagement #PersonalDevelopment #Strategy #Management
Please feel to share some of the ways or ideas you course correct with.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Privileged to
have worked across the high-capital construction, fast-paced e-commerce
& the precision-driven outsourcing industries; 'Kayode KOLADE is a
Business Strategist and Project Manager with experience in People,
Process & Operations Optimization, a Soft Skills Trainer and Mentor
with a creed to continuous improvement. A Fellow of both The Institute
of Leadership & Management and The Learning & Performance
Institute.
