Systematic Lane Changes

David J Paul Project Management Professional, Management Professor, Author and Small Business Manager

One of the things we do a lot in our present society is drive our cars. A lot of time we are commuting to or from work, picking up kids or dropping them off, or just being in cars. When I talk to my students about the topic of management, I often use driving examples because they are so familiar with driving for the most part. It turns out that some students would drive over 3 hours to come to class in Hayward, CA. Dedication to finishing their degrees. I was really impressed.

How do you think about driving, I asked. And how is that related to life lessons. One lesson is about changing lanes. Think about it. My best friend from high school had a ‘system’ occasioned by his observation that most accidents happen with changing lanes. He said, “Look at the situation, then signal your intention to change lanes. Look at the situation again to make sure things have not changed, and only then make the change.” Look, signal, look, turn, in that order.

Can you see what good sense that makes for relationships with people? Showing people that you care about them? Take a look around you and see what’s happening in the family, or in the workplace, in the choir, or at church. You might possibly want to do something a little out of the ordinary–like change lanes, take a new path home, insert some new music into the song lists, propose a new process. First take a look around. If it seems okay and people who need to be contacted have said, “OK”, then go ahead and signal your intention to ‘change things up’. Listen for the screams. See if there are any objections and where they are coming from. Deal with them before changing lanes. When you have addressed the issues raised by your announcing your intention to change, then go ahead with the change. It could be an announcement at work, a new corporate partner, or a marketing initiative, or it could be where to go on vacation. Just Remember, Look, Signal, Look, Turn. Watch out for the bumps. Good luck.