Thanks, Officer

When was the last time that you sincerely thanked a police officer for pulling you over? For me, it was just last week. I was thankful that he didn’t give me a ticket, but the real thanks was for the potential wreck that he helped me avoid. Let me explain. I was out-of-town and had just finished a dinner meeting. When I started my rental car, the headlights came on automatically. I assumed that the car had a light sensor that activated the lights. When I moved the switch to the “on” position, I could see no difference, so I returned the switch to its original setting and went on my way. As I entered the on-ramp for the freeway, the police lights suddenly appeared in my rearview mirror. I pulled over immediately, and to my surprise he stopped behind me. It turns out that the running lights on, not the headlights, which meant that the taillights were off. Anyone approaching from the rear might run into the back of my car due to the lack of visibility. Leaders spend much of their time focusing on the future. They want to see what’s in front of them and the organization that they lead. There’s nothing wrong with this – it’s one of the primary roles of a leader. But leaders also have a responsibility to “light the way” for those who are following. From his or her vantage point, the path may seem clear to the leader, but often they are leading with the “taillights turned off.” When this happens, followers will be confused. The result may be a wreck. Or it may be that others will follow at a greater distance in the interest of safety. Or they may completely miss a turn that the leader has taken. If you’re a second chair leader, you may be in a position to turn on the lights. In your partnership with the first chair, you can make sure that others see and understand the vision. Or perhaps, like my friendly police officer you need to pull the first chair over to the side and point out the problem. Whatever role you serve in, take a moment to make sure that the lights truly are turned on. And if someone helps you see that they’re not, be sure to thank them.   It’s easy to receive my blogs by email. Just sign-up on Feedburner by clicking here.]]>