I was sixteen years old in a Honda Accord. We stopped on a hill. This is typically no big deal, but right now it was.
I was driving a manual (stick shift) car. This was my mentor’s car and he explained to me how I needed to slowly let off the clutch while gently pressing on the gas at the same time. I start the process, then it happened. 
The car started violently shaking back and forth like it was having a seizure. Internally I was thinking the car was going to blow up! My mentor remained calm, told me to push the clutch back in and push down on the gas. With a jerk, shimmy, and big lurch I then moved forward.
I don’t know if you have ever had that specific experience, but it reminds me of leading ourselves. The car was either going to go forward or backward even if it stalled. If I put the brake on, then I would be stuck going nowhere.
Leading ourselves can feel like driving a stick shift that has a clutch that is slipping. We don’t know what to do and get stuck out of ignorance or fear. What can we do when we sense this temptation to be complacent?
Set a Goal
I had this statement from my older brother going around in my head saying I wasn’t coordinated enough to drive a stick so I had a goal to prove I could accomplish this. Maybe you are stuck and feeling paralyzed on what to do because of a lack of vision. Take time to ask yourself these three questions:
- What makes me excited?
- What moves me to tears?
- What brings me great joy?
These questions help you identify your passion. Once you have clarity on your passion ask what is one step that can move me in that direction? This will reveal your first goal. Continue asking this to determine the following goals.
Get in Motion
A goal is like revving the engine. Next you must put the car in gear. At this point you know your goal and need to move. Is there someone you need to talk to? Maybe you need to develop a new habit that will get you moving in the direction of your goal.
Take time to determine the first step and then do it immediately! As you move discover the next step and take it. Continue asking yourself what is the next best step to help me get to my goal? This is like putting the car in first, but if we stay there too long we overheat so we shift into second and continue climbing the hill.
Find Accountability
As I was learning to drive this stick shift, I had a person beside me who could teach me and correct me if I was heading in a destructive direction. To avoid the complacency trap, find someone or a group of people who know your goals and will challenge you when you are not moving toward them.
Each Friday I have a business accountability partner call with a friend. A consistent question for us on the call is what did you do this week and what are you doing next week? This forces me to think into how I’m moving the business forward on a weekly basis. When I’m stuck he encourages me and when I’m lazy he is honest with me. A little tough love helps us all move from complacency to consistent action.
Which of these three steps do you need to take? Are you stuck in any of these areas and need someone to come alongside you to help you get unstuck and regain clarity on where you are headed or where you are leading your team? Contact me for a powerful thinking partner session to help you think into your business and go from stuck to soaring. Lead Well.
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