What Does Rally Racing Have To Do With Being A Better Leader?

Leaders, especially in business, rarely get time to practice… But why not?? Surely like a pro athlete, we are required to make quick and consequential decisions, inspire others and hold enormous stakes on our backs… But we don’t make time for practice throws?? Rally Racing might be one of the most direct ways to refine our skills, clear our minds and smile while doing it.?

There’s no doubt that racing has taken the US and the World by storm lately, but Rally is a different beast.? There’s no clubhouse seats, expensive champagne and parking lots full of supercars.? Instead you find a much more humble motorsport that serves as a teacher and arena to train the mind, test the body and forge the spirit.? As I’ve seen the process of building Leaders alongside the rally track, here are a few reasons you might consider this sport, instead of trust falls, next time you’re looking to get better.

DIS-Comfort Zone... Engaged

Leaders are paid to make tough decisions and guide Teams through the chaos.? Rally is a great school house for training these skills and putting you right in the middle of controlled chaos.? Unpredictable weather, machines, varied skills and track conditions are just a few factors that? you’ll have to deal with when behind a rally car.? How you embrace and navigate those factors will determine how you navigate the track.? Business is rarely smooth sailing and conditioning oneself to be good with DISCOMFORT, makes you a better operator.

Takeaway: If you want to be less stressed with the chaos in your workplace, find time to put yourself in those conditions so that you learn to grin when you encounter them.?

Art, Not Science

Road conditions constantly change on a rally course.? Unlike a Formula 1 track where the corners are measured with exact precision and track times are dialed in by the tenth of a second. In rally, grooves form, dirt washes away, Earth erodes meaning that each car that drives the track changes it for the racer behind them.? The track can be unpredictable and unforgiving if you try to engineer your way through it.? Those that excel in Rally learn to let go and just feel the road.? Like Leading a Team, rigidity may only give you short-term impact, but our ability to use momentum, feel and flow is what can sustain our Teams for a very long time.??

Takeaway: You can’t textbook your way through tough decisions.? Operating is best when it’s organic and you hit obstacles with flow in mind.

Getting Out Of Your Head

When you’re driving in a rally car, you are only focused on what’s in front of you... YOU HAVE TO.? If your brain wanders, you’ll likely find yourself in a ditch or crashed into a wall. Whether you run a business, Lead a Team or guide your family, your mind is full of decisions, concerns and ideas.? There’s likely no bandwidth for much else.? Getting behind the wheel of a rally car forces you to get clear and focus on just what’s important - The Track Ahead.? We all need an arena that encourages clarity and helps you truly prioritize what’s important.?

Takeaway: If you are having a hard time getting CLEAR, you are probably hurting your Team more than you think.? You get paid to light the path ahead.? Sometimes you can’t logic your way to a clear mind, you just have to jump in the cockpit and get there.

Effective Communication

As you're getting ready to slide into the next turn, you’ve got to be confident in what you need the car to do.? You only know that if your co-driver or instructor is not only concise with their communication, but do it in a way that you’ll respond appropriately.? Many folks struggle with getting their Team to march the same direction and that’s likely due to the lack of clear, concise and consistent communication.? If you find yourself in a constant game of telephone where everyone has a different story they are marching to, consider jumping in a rally car.? The idea of keeping you and your co-driver alive makes you pay attention and forces clear communication.? No time for fluffy lingo or keeping things to yourself.??

Takeaway: It’s not about how much we say, but what is said and how we deliver.? Clearly communicate and when necessary, use words.?

Courage?

Nothing builds confidence like getting behind the wheel of a race car.? It’s all on you and there’s no question if you are performing or not.? The character built in a rally car is something that stays with you.? One's ability to navigate a course that’s filled with dirt and trees, operating a machine in adverse conditions and learning to trust your instincts are all things that may Rally a unique endeavor.? Leading folks is about courage and our ability to inspire others to do the impossible, endure storms and find creative ways to win.? You can’t build that courageous spirit in a boardroom or behind the computer... Mountain tops and rally courses are where that forging best happens.

Takeaway: Your People are always watching.? They want to be inspired and Led through tough times, not left alone.? That courage and swagger are only built one way - Stepping into an arena over and over again.