Businesses Driving to Success

I have shown the analogy between driving cars and driving businesses. The presentation highlighted the role of the driver in driving safely to the intended destination. However; the role of the vehicle and passengers was not discusses. This post shown the forgotten facts that business drivers may overlook.

Humans and cars share one thing- only one part touches the ground. When we walk or run it is our feet that are touching the ground. In cars it is the tires. Our feet and the tires are on the ground and they both need special attention. The synchronization between the steering and wheels is crucial to safe driving. Strangely enough, we care about our shoes whether it is comfortable, sized well, branded, appropriate and of matching color. We replace them before they are torn out. In cars, we fail to do the same. We change tires only if terribly torn out or punctured to the extent that they have to be replaced. I may claim that we also tend to drive businesses on torn out tires.

It makes me wonder why we care for shoes more than tires. A manager cares about his shoes being of the last fashion, clean, matching to his suit and don't pay attention to the tires. Why managers insist on driving businesses on worn and unsuitable tires? Is this the way to drive a business?

Like driving cars on different terrains and climates we drive business on changing terrains and climates. We have pebbles sticking to the tires, nails the roads that may puncture the tires, rain that makes the tires slippery, heat that may inflate the tires and make them liable to exploding. I experienced this recently when traveling. We were four in a car taking us to a very important meeting. It was a very hot day and all of a sudden one tire exploded. The smell of smoke was terrible and the dust around us made it hard to breathe. Sitting in the car was impossible because of the smell of the exploded tire. Staying outside was difficult because of the sand storm. It was an experience in which spoiled tires may drive a business to predicaments. We were late to the meeting. Our clothes were dirty adding to the troubles we faced.

A business leader knows on which land he/she is driving the business. If on rocky roads the leader opts for tires that are flexible enough to conform to irregular surfaces and with biting edges to adhere to the rocks. The tires shall have a flexible rubbery component to have a better grip. It is not the tires which determine the road; it is the road which determines which tires to use.

It is always advisable to change tires in pairs at minimum. Leaders should think about what changes they need to make in pairs to keep the balance and drive the organization to success. Replacing one tire with a different model, size or tread depth can cause a noticeable pull in the steering wheel or other handling issues. The leader shall lose the ability to steer the organization safely.

True leader cares for the knowing the ground on which to drive the business so as to have a grip on the rocky and slippery roads ahead. They choose the right people who have:

· the correct" inflation",

· material, structure and characteristics which fit with the road ahead,

· The adaptability to changing conditions, and

· Characteristics to get ahead without "burning out" or torn out or exploding

We can't drive a business to success on faulty tires. It is as simple as that.