The Secret of the Roadmap

In business and everyday life, a clear road map is critical for both our own selves as well as those going on the trip with us. On a trip to Bogotá, Columbia, this truth became glaringly important to me. It was my first trip to South America and I took it with some apprehension. Even though Pablo Escobar was caught years ago, I was concerned. We have a client who had a facility there that closed down due to some of the violence in years past. We decided to see the sights during the day and stay in at night.

The city of Bogotá is very beautiful. It is the city of perpetual spring with beautiful, lush, tropical forest vegetation. It is 8,600 feet above sea level, higher than Denver CO. One of the day trips we wanted to take involved traveling over an 11,000 foot mountain and down into the valley on the other side. We were going to see Laguna de Aguavita, the site of El Dorado. The vision of what we wanted to do was clear, but we did not know how to get there, so we talked to many people about it. The locals were not English speakers and our Spanish was elementary at best, making it a challenge. We finally ended up getting a clear route on a map and hired a car with a driver and an interpreter. Once we knew the route and how we were going to get there, we felt much more confident that we could do it. It is at that point that instead of just an “idea”, the journey became a “commitment”.

While we need Vision and Goals to motivate us to the end results, knowing the strategy, the path, the how, is the way to get commitment. We also needed to be able to measure the success of the strategy so we know if we should stick with a strategy or change it. If our vehicle and route are not working, we need to make a change.

Part way to El Dorado, we noticed our driver and guide engaged in heated conversation. It turned out that neither of them had been here and so the hesitation on where they should turn, along with remembering the warnings about drug lords, we began to lose some confidence in our adventure. This had me wishing we had a better roadmap and that I had studied the route better before leaving.

Ultimately we realized we had taken the right turns and were almost to El Dorado when we got to a dirt road that had washed out and become a small river. We were only two miles away. We tried to get across, but every time we tried (5 times), we got stuck. We used sticks, rocks and stumps to rebuild part of the road. Our car still could not get across. We were ready to call it quits and head back to Bogota.

Part of what kept up our motivation was that our two drivers, originally wearing black formal business suits, shed their shoes and socks, rolled up their pant legs and waded into the mud to help rebuild the road. We did not want to leave them alone to do it, and so we cheerfully helped. They were great examples of “can do” leadership.  Even with that though, we saw no way to succeed.

Just then a truck drove up that had the horsepower to cross the gap. The driver of the vehicle waved us into the back of his truck. The truck we were invited to join was a pickup truck with about 10 people and so the 4 of us jammed ourselves into the back and we bounced up the washboard road to the top of Laguna de Aguavita. It was raining, but everyone was laughing and having fun. We succeeded in getting past the obstacle.

Just like changing our vehicle from our car to someone else’s truck, part of a strategy is being able to measure progress and finding an alternate “how” if the original strategy is not working. We had almost abandoned trying to get there (even with great leadership from our two guides), but were able to persist and find another way. 

The reason I share this story is that both the “what” (Vision/Goals/destination) and the “how” (strategy/vehicle) needsto be clear. It keeps the team going when things inevitably go wrong.

 Questions for you to consider:

·        1. What is the Vision for your Organization? What Goals have you set for your Team? Can your employees verbalize where you are going?

·        2. How are you measuring the progress of your plan? Is the "how" clear? Do the employees see and feel the progress? Do they adjust their actions based on what is working and what is not?

3. Are your leaders motivating the troops? Do they share and celebrate the successes and analyze the failures?