As I sat in traffic on Interstate 75 somewhere north of Valdosta an announcer came on the radio and proclaimed that “Today is the busiest travel day of the year.” He said somewhere around 30 million people would be going somewhere today. I think about half of them were heading north on 75 to Atlanta!

Needless to say, my five hour trip to Atlanta lasted nearly nine hours. I am generally a patient fellow, but by Macon I was done. Slow down after slow down, stop after stop…oh, did I mention my four and six year old were with me? It was bad. What was worse was that there were very few times when we should have actually stopped. Don’t they call it the “freeway” because it is a way to travel free from stopping?

I decided somewhere near Fulton County that I had been stopped or slowed down for just about every possible reason. Wrecks, police, merging lanes, construction, road kill (really), rubber neckers, cell phones, rush hour, pedestrians, toll booths and tons of flat tires to name a few. So instead of ranting about poor highway etiquette, awful state planning or nine hours locked in a car with a four and six year old, I thought about how I could use my highway experience for good.

As leaders we are taking one or more people on a journey with us to a predetermined destination. Much like a trip down the highway. We have a starting point and an ending point. And if you are like me, you have a well thought out plan for arriving as efficiently as possible at your destination.

I learned early on from my grandpa that you just don’t hit the highway without a plan. You have to know where the cheapest gas is located, the best rest-stops can be found, what roads are under construction and how many bits of Americana are along the way. If it was a museum, memorial, hall of fame or giant ball of twine, we were stopping! We never left for a single trip without my grandpa securing an infamous “trip-tick” from AAA. But we always had a plan and all the information we needed to have a great journey.

My trip to Atlanta should have been easy. I have driven it more than thirty times. It consists of three left turns and two merges. That’s it! I only travel on two roads. It shouldn’t be complicated. My confidence in what the past has been clouded my judgment on the present. I trusted that everything was going to be the same. I had traveled the same route six weeks prior. I didn’t need to seek any information about my intended path. What could change?

My overconfidence severely impacted my trip. I just completed the journey. I reached my destination, but it was a slow and arduous trip. If I had planned ahead I could have easily selected other routes, filled my tank to full before I left and not packed the aspirin in a suite case.

Overconfidence in the past and poor planning for the trip is two ways leaders impact the journey. It doesn’t mean they will not eventually arrive at their destination. It means the journey will take much longer than expected and could easily be derailed by poor attitudes, complaints, a lack of vision and motivation. They may arrive at their destination, but once they do, they will survey the road behind them and they will see the carcasses of those they needlessly ran over.

It is the leader’s responsibility to plan the journey. That can not be delegated or shared. If they are unwilling to plan the journey or at least cast the vision of where they want to go, then plan for a long trip. It will not be a comfortable trip or a fun trip. At some point along the way you may even wonder why you joined the journey and if you could bail out without hurting yourself.

Those are a few of the ways a leader can derail the trip before it begins. But let’s just say you have a well thought out plan. What are few of the obstacles that always seem to slow us down?

I see police officers as the internal structure of the highway. They are the ones holding everyone accountable and making sure everyone is on an even playing field…Similar to the polices, systems or procedures of your business or team. But just like too many policies, too many police slow down the journey. They cause a slow down no matter what they are doing. People tend to drive even under the posted speed limit when they are present. I know they do not intend to slow things down, but they do…that is part of their job. It is vital that we have them, but too much of a good thing tens to clog the flow…especially the work flow. When we become policy heavy the journey can grind to a halt.

Rubber neckers are so frustrating! Maybe we have different definition for what a rubber necker is, so let me clarify. A rubber necker is an individual who becomes distracted by something on the side of the road and slows to gawk at whatever is occurring no matter how it impacts the flow on the highway. Usually they have no clue they are slowing everyone down. But the dangerous thing about rubber necking is that it is contagious.

The same is true for leaders. Focus is crucial to success. A leader must constantly have it and incessantly demand it. If they become caught up in something off to the side they will severely limit and hamper their organizations effectiveness. They run the risk of derailing a vision, a strategic plan and even an entire company. Leaders must say focused on the journey ahead if they wish to reach their intended destination. They must also make sure the people following them stay focused as well. This is a tough job. The road is littered with so many distractions. But it is a primary responsibility for any successful leader.

Wrecks are always dangerous and can happen almost without warning. Drivers not paying attention can be gobbled up without a moments notice. Drivers have to stay vigilant, constantly surveying the landscape looking for possible mishaps. I learned early on that the best driver is a defensive driver. We can avoid many accidents if we simply keep our eyes looking ahead and prepare for a possible mistake. The best leaders are the ones who seem a few steps ahead of everyone. They reason they seem ahead of the game is because they are thinking a few steps out and factoring in possible pitfalls. This type of thinking is hard to teach. Some come by it naturally and some learn how to do it over time. Experience is the best teacher. When the weight of your team, business or organization sits squarely on your shoulder, you tend to learn this lesson quickly. Not learning is costly to you and those you are leading.

Other accidents happen that are out of our control: A flat tire, an out of control driver or a malfunction with your vehicle. Whatever the reason may be, it more than like is not your fault, yet you must deal with it. Welcome to leadership! Great leaders manage wrecks well. They remain calm, focused and flexible. They are quick to survey the scene and begin immediate triage. Many leaders have been made in the midst of accidents. This is when the proverbial cream rises to the top. It’s important not to freeze when faced with leadership wreck. Those following are waiting to take their cue from you. Freezing sends a message of weakness that your followers never want to see. They want to be confident that not matter what the journey looks like, you are in control and along for the ride with them.

The last slow down is a double whammy. A one two punch. One always precedes the other. This is the lane merge prior to a construction zone. It gives me shivers just thinking about it! What really should be a simple, effortless non-issue becomes one of the highways’ most troublesome problems. If people would simply pay attention to the signs, begin merging when they are told two, maintain their speed and politely share a spot or two then we could all continue traveling at a decent rate. But that never happens!

There is always one driver racing to the last possible point trying to pass someone to reach the front of the line. Or the guy who keeps jumping in and out of the soon to be defunct lane. How about the cranky driver who will not let anyone merge. Or the rubber necker looking at the big yellow crane. They are all making the merger more difficult. It will still happen. Highway gravity demands. But it will be a slow and miserable experience for everyone involved.

Construction zones with merging lanes are tough. Construction zones are tough, but nothing compared to the merger prior to entering. Together they wreak havoc on highways all across the world.

How many times have you as a leader instituted change? How did you feel before the change? Optimistic? Passionate? How about when you hit your first bump? Still good? What about when you are in the thick of the change and things seem to be falling apart all around you and there is no hope for coming out on the other side? Still optimistic? Still passionate?

Change is truly one of the most difficult callings for any leader. It is rarely without incident or pain. All great endeavors cost something. It is usually in the change process where we feel it the most.
I have often felt that when you get down to it, actually changing isn’t too difficult. It’s the leading up to the change that hurts. Casting vision, having holes shot in your vision, getting excited about a plan, having your plan fall a part, recruiting partners, loosing friends, gather resources, having resourced withheld, looking for advice, getting critics. I could go on and on as many of you could. Preparing for the change is hard work. It is not for the faint of heart. You must be committed and compelled to your vision. That will sustain you and keep you plugging away during the painful days of the preparation.

Odds are you as a leader are going to create a construction zone at some point in your leadership life. It may be a small one or it may be miles long. Either way, the people you lead or effect will need to change lanes prior to changing. It is your responsibility to help make this happen. You must look at the change and create the best possible transition to create the possible result.

And don’t be naïve…even the best thought through transitions can go horribly array. The goal or aim should be the end result. You can lay out the best plan and one rubber necker or an accident can grind your change to a complete stop. So what do you do when this happens? Grind it out? Sit through it? Back track? Become irritable, impatient and angry? Here’s a lesson I relearned along interstate 75. If you see someone blazing a trail…don’t be afraid to follow them.

Somewhere north of Tifton we hit a major merger and at least 27 miles of construction. Of course, the construction was not much of anything, but the 6 miles of merging was horrid. We sat in bumper to bumper traffic, creeping along for almost an hour. I was tempted to remove myself from the highway at one exit, but pressed on. How much longer could this take?

By the time I approached the next I watched a few semi trucks exit the highway. No cars followed. Just a few trucks. Wisdom said to stay the course. It can’t take too much longer. It’s bound to break soon. We will be moving at full speed at any moment. Something in my scheduled, list making and routine mind said, “What do you have to loose? Go for it. Maybe they will lead you past all the traffic.’ So I took the exit and followed the nearest big rig. What was I thinking? I played the typical guy routine perfectly. “Honey I am not lost.”

For about twenty minutes I followed closely behind the truck that proceeded to return to the highway…without traffic! It was a rush. Kind of like having a fast pass at Disney!

Being a leader is a journey. The road can be fast and fun, but it can also be full of obstacles and treachery. Be aware of your responsibility as a driver to get your passengers to the destination safely, quickly and promptly.

Very seldom do leaders ever just take a Sunday drive.

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