Questions for Success

I was recently driving back from a meeting in another state.  This was my first trip driving this route.   I knew what highway number I was looking for (I thought) and approximately where it was.  I was thinking about the things I had to get done when I got back to the office in the afternoon when it dawned on me that things did not look familiar compared with the drive down earlier in the week.

I pulled off and turned on the GPS function on my phone.  WOW.  Somehow I had overshot the transition exit by a half hour.

After looking at my directions and revisiting the drive in my mind, I realized I had made three mistakes.  First, I was looking for an exit not a transitional merge.  Second, I was looking for the wrong highway number. Third, I was distracted by other traffic and scenery and stayed on the wrong side of the split.  The end result was a mistake that added over an hour to the trip.

In a world of constant change it is important for leaders to know where they are going and what the signs are for success.

• Do you have the right expectations looking ahead?
• Are you looking for the right markers for success?
• Are you paying enough attention to the present?
• Are you engaging others for their observations and feedback?

If we can answer these questions positively as we make important (and some less important) decisions, we can reduce the risk of making a costly error.

King Solomon had similar advice for success - “My son, do not lose sight of these—keep sound wisdom and discretion, and they will be life for your soul and adornment for your neck. Then you will walk on your way securely, and your foot will not stumble.”  (Proverb 3:21-24)