It was 2006, I walked out of Hertz with the keys to my Jaguar in hand. (Upgrades are fun!) I was looking forward to touring California’s wine country and coast. I felt completely at ease. Hertz supplied me with their Never Lost Navigation System. Two hours into the trip, I began to experience a unique version of road rage. This one involved me and that persistent voice on the GPS. She told me I wasn’t on the road. I was! She told me I was lost. I wasn’t! She wanted to re-plot my course. I wanted to throw her out the window.
On that same subject, have you ever looked at directions from MapQuest when you already knew the way? If so, you know that they may eventually get you to your destination but it’s not always the best route.
When you don’t know the way, the most assured way to get where you want to go is to give the keys to the person who knows how to get there. (I know it’s your car. But if I’m driving your car, I’m going to be extra careful.) You may be thinking, “I’ll drive and just ask directions when I need them.” That works too, but it can become frustrating, especially when you disagree with the person giving the directions.
There are other ways to travel. You still have a choice. You could get a dirty cab or a limousine. You could charter a flight or wait in a security line, or better yet, on a runway without air conditioning, with someone else’s child climbing on you while you try to ignore the fact that your connecting flight is already leaving.
So, do you go with that publicly traded mega agency and follow their rules? At first, you may be excited about all the useless features they have to offer, but you may also want to throw them out the window after your first two hour meeting.
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THE BOTTOM LINE:
Principal 1: Don’t become enamored with prestige.
Principal 2: Don’t be distracted by useless gimmicks and strategies that have nothing to do with the business at hand.
Principal 3: Sometimes you’ve got to be willing to trust your gut. Don’t let someone tell you that you are not headed in the right direction when you can see the road right in front of you.
