In the first two posts of this series, Who Do You Want in Your Van? and Get People in the Right Seats, I discussed the problems of traveling with just anyone and having team members in the wrong positions. Only when you address these issues is it time to step on the gas.
After all, once you're clear on where you’re going and you’ve assembled people with the right skills, capabilities and personalities to take your organization to its destination, you want to get to the goal as fast as possible.
One way to do this is to floor it. Push through, ignoring the rearview mirror and any messes you're leaving in your wake.
Although the "floor it" approach might work for a while, keeping your eye on that rearview mirror is actually better for navigating the road in front of you and achieving even more speed. It gives you the feedback needed to course correct. For example:
Do you see flashing police car lights behind you?
Maybe you're going too fast. Slow down and check the dashboard, looking especially at the metrics most important for monitoring your situation. You might find adjustments are needed to support the speed you want to go. Or that moving at your current speed is actually slowing down your overall trip time simply because you're forced to pull over too often.
Can you see your passengers?
If they're enjoying the ride and helping get you where you’re trying to go, great. But if they're bickering, bored and complaining, find the cause and make necessary changes. Even though you originally chose your passengers carefully, things can shift and it’s okay to move someone to a new seat or ask them to exit your van for good. The mistake many organizations make is keeping employees who are no longer a fit far too long.
Are other cars passing you easily?
Again, check your dashboard to discover why you’re not keeping pace with others on the road. Perhaps it's time to step on the gas just a bit more or upgrade a system to achieve better efficiencies. As long as you regularly check your dashboard, you can safely make changes to increase momentum toward your organization's goal.
