One day as a much less mature young man, I was driving to a meeting and running late. It was brutally hot, so I had the AC blasting.
Ahead of me was an intersection where I needed to turn right. The light was red. An older sedan sat in the right lane with the turn signal on. In my part of the country, it’s legal to turn right on red. There was no visible cross traffic.
I couldn’t understand why this person wasn’t turning and I was in a hurry.
COME ON!
I gave a friendly honk. No response.
I honked again and saw this short gray head look up in the rearview mirror and slowly shook her head “no.”
I’m not proud of what came next.
I whipped into the empty middle lane and gunned it in front of her to make the turn.
And then I saw it.
A train…it had been coming from behind me.
By the literal grace of God, I slammed on the brakes and stopped in time. No gates. Just lights and bells. I couldn’t see the lights because of the sun’s glare. I couldn’t hear the bells or train whistle because the AC was blasting.
Late But Didn’t Care
I had been given the gift of another day and a life lesson.
Where did I go wrong, beyond being in too much of a hurry, being rude to a little old lady and breaking a traffic law?
I never paused long enough to consider that she might have had information I didn’t.
I thought I had the whole picture.
I desperately needed outside perspective.
How valuable would it have been if a car had pulled up beside me and pointed out the train?
Immense.
What’s Important That You Don’t See?
As a leader, you tend to see only what’s right in front of you. You often hear and see what people want you to hear and see.
Sometimes that picture is accurate.
But other times it’s overly optimistic and missing critical warning signs.
Even when people are being honest, everyone inside an organization sees the world from the inside.
So let me ask you this:
How much value do you place on outside perspective?
Do you have someone outside your organization, untouched by internal politics or agendas, who helps you see more clearly? Someone who cuts through the noise. Someone who knows what’s working (and not working) elsewhere.
That person might be a mentor, a board member or a coach.
Providing that perspective is a rewarding part of the role I play for leaders.
Right now, I can hear Johnny Cash in my head:
“I hear the train a-comin’, it’s rollin’ round the bend…”
Who Do You Have?
So, who do you have that’s cutting through the glare, turning down the noise and pointing out the train?
Feel free to share in the comments.
And if you’d like to talk about how you could gain some valuable outside perspective, let’s connect for a quick call.
