Faff Free Friday #10 - The Changing Lanes Issue

I go on a lot about paths in my work...

Though never to claim I have the perfect path EVERYONE ‘should’ follow to achieve the business dream. Everyone’s path is different as I see it and I respect that. That's why in my coaching and mentoring practice, I guide my clients down their path, not drag them down mine.

This week I’ve stepped up from paths in a BIG way – it’s now motorways.

Maybe I should have seen it coming

I have been talking about stepping up in how I aim to serve and educate in 2022 so there’s something natural about me stepping up (certainly scaling up) my metaphors too.

It came about when I was doing some work on myself.

I hesitate to call it mindset work as I am not too keen on that terminology. But it was about moving forward without dragging old ways of thinking with me – a decluttering of mind possibly rather than a resetting of it.

(I am committed to personal development, that is really important when I am training, coaching and mentoring others to keep innovating, learning.)

The exercise complete, I found a lightening of load after my cerebral tidy up. But it was more than that.

I felt a real shift, an acceleration…and here’s the motorway analogy…like I’d been stuck in the crawler lane. Now I’d looked in the mirror at the past, found that I was ok, safe to pull out and get away from the slow traffic in the way ahead.

To change lanes

Just like driving I went through three stages:

1. Mirror – looking back, checking in with what might be coming from behind, is it safe to take the next step?
2. Signal – show intent about what action is planned, to confirm our goal to ourselves and to help keep accountable to others.
3. Manoeuvre – drive forward, accelerate safely and take the middle lane in a safe, planned way NOT swerving right over into the very fast lane, not just yet.

The physical shift we feel when you change lanes is exactly how I felt leaving mind clutter behind - in the same way as leaving the slower, heavier and older vehicles behind when we overtake.

Choosing a new lane without fear, or worry, about anything in the slow lane anymore.

Personal and professional development supports this:

• Choosing a quicker or more efficient and effective route when safe to do so.
• Leaving behind that which holds us back.
• Normal and natural – just like changing lanes on a motorway.

All at your pace when you’re ready and sufficiently skilled to do it.

We wouldn’t drive on a motorway on the day we get our provisional licence – there’s steps to take first…

• take lessons,
• pass test,
• take additional tuition in motorway driving and
• have time and space to practice before having the confidence to change lanes safely.

Yet business owners and leaders are often required to take vast leaps in their personal development, completely solo. I’m not surprised that whilst some relish this extreme sport – like veering off a cycle path across three lanes of motorway traffic, on a bike that’s only just shed its stabilisers - most find it totally stressful and it leaves them feeling out of control.

I have had these same challenges

Like taking over a stagnant business development area running at a reasonable ￡3.5 Million a year but with a size and geography that meant it was under performing.

By the end of the next year I’d increased it to ￡6 Million. What a ride that was!

If I’d have had to do it on my own a few years earlier I would have been a mess; but by the time I was given this sales area to improve, I had been in a number of management, sales and marketing roles over the past 9 years and I had coaching skills to help my team reach new heights and take on new responsibilities.

Supported by a super BDM and a range of services staff across the business, the spotlight was on me, but I never felt I was doing this alone.

If you are a business leader with a vision to grow your organisation, do you have that support from your own team – or do THEY need to step up in order to help you in the way you need?

Do YOU need new skills – or a declutter of past attitudes, behaviours and beliefs - in order for you to take your vision and turn that into successful growth?

• To accelerate and to change lanes fearlessly?
• Taking time out like I did to leave behind something that may be holding you back is truly important?
• Taking time to learn new skills so changing lanes is safe?
• Making space to look at options, routes, paths to decide on the best one for you – not just bolting on someone else’s system, scheme or roadmap?

And that’s why my changing lanes analogy has been part of my coaching conversations this week. About leaving behind what isn’t required here and now in 2022. To allow my wonderful clients to achieve goals and much more.

I provide space and confidence to explore until they are ready for the faster pace at THEIR pace – not mine or anyone else’s.

Like the client who saved a couple of years in service development time and another who’s list of hot leads from a zero start in just one week is over ￡30Kin potential sales - being part of that journey is incredibly exciting

And what about my new lane?

It is leading me to new, exciting ways to create a partner program to work even more closely with clients. Powerfully allowing them to explore new paths, lanes and motorways for themselves with a little steer from me.

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