You Have to Adapt to Your Conditions

We recently experienced our first real winter storm this season. I was driving my son, who recently turned thirteen and now officially knows everything, to one of his friend’s houses. The roads were slick. I was driving below the speed limit. Of course, he had to question me for going slow. I explained to him that the roads were slippery and the speed limit did not matter; I had to be safe. He sighed and rolled his eyes. As if on cue, a car coming the other way was going fast and was going to attempt a right turn. I said, “Look at that idiot. He’s going to go off the road.” Sure enough, he skidded off the road. Luckily, he did not hit anything.

I tried to use this example as a Ward Cleaver-esque moment. I emphasized how a car is not a toy and a driver has to understand the condition of the road. I think all he heard was, “Blah, blah, blah.” Hopefully, I can get my message through to him before he actually drives. He is counting the days and insists he already knows how to drive. Every parent faces similar challenges…

After dropping him off, I thought about what I had said. Most drivers do adapt to road conditions but, as I witnessed, it only takes one person who is not adjusting properly to potentially create a huge problem. Is everyone on your team adapting to the changing business conditions? Are you all on the same page for tactical and strategic adjustments? If not, it might be time to sit down, discuss the current environment and what you see for the future.