How do I turn the windscreen wipers on?!

Last night I was putting the windscreen wipers on whenever I meant to indicate. 

I was being flashed by other drivers in the hope I’d stop blinding them with my full beam lights. 

I had to figure out how to tune the car stereo so that “Country FM” would not be the accompaniment for my entire journey.

Last night this all happened because I was driving a courtesy car. I was no longer driving on autopilot.

When it comes to our development, I believe we can unintentionally fall into “autopilot”. What once started out as learning practices, have become habits. We get used to learning one way and perhaps fail to explore other options.

When you need to deepen your knowledge or understanding…do you automatically register for a classroom training session? What if you made a conscious effort to explore an elearning course or talk to a someone to learn from their experience?

You subscribed to a monthly Leadership Journal…do you automatically flick through it when it lands on your desk and then put it in your drawer to gather dust? What if you made a conscious effort to read each article and reflect on how you could apply it?

You’ve read a book, listened to a podcast, been in a classroom, talked to a mentor...do you automatically tick it off your list as being complete and move on? What if you made a conscious effort to put into practice what you learned and share it with others?

As I drove the courtesy car, yes I did have to think about the basics that I don’t normally have to think about. Yes, I did feel slightly apprehensive in an unfamiliar car. Yes, I did get frustrated at points when the car wouldn’t do what I wanted it to do. Yes, I would have preferred to be driving my own car.

But guess what…

30miles, 2 hours in rush hour traffic and a conscious effort later, I started to use indicators to indicate, windscreen wipers to wipe my windscreen, and my IPod took over from Country FM.

What if we took our learning off autopilot? What if we explored our development in a different way?

One last thing…

The phrase “procrastination is opportunity’s assassin” came into my mind as I wrote this…

Why?

Because the reason I had a courtesy car was due to one of my electric windows that stopped working…2 months ago. 

Don't cruise along on autopilot for another 2 months, how about fixing your learning experiences today

What’s Your Red Balloon?

Kid’s parties.

Balloon animals.

That person at a party singing “I will Survive” after emptying a balloon of helium.

This is what the humble red balloon means to many. Not me.

It’s my perspective.

It’s my confidence.

It’s my courage.

For 6 months in 2007, I volunteered in Sri Lanka’s Tsunami affected South, with most of my time spent working with kids and teenagers.

About a fortnight in, I bought some balloons for the pre-school kids…plain red balloons. No fancy writing on them. No brightly coloured string attached to them. No noise made when you punch them. Just plain, red balloons.

I will never forget when the 45+ children were given their own red balloon. If someone had just walked into the classroom (let’s call it what it is…a shack), you would have assumed they’d just been awarded tickets to Disney Land, with unlimited ice-cream and 24/7 access to the biggest toy shop in the world.

But they hadn’t.

This overwhelming joy, manifested in huge smiles and big sparkling brown eyes, was down to a plain, red, 1p balloon.

This is a mental picture I will never forget. My drive, my determination, the risk taker in me…all driven by the kids’ reaction to a plain, red, balloon.

It’s my perspective.

A child who lives a life of adversity is satisfied with a plain, red, balloon. I take that perspective when my workload feels overwhelming.

It’s my confidence.

A child who lives in unthinkable conditions, escapes reality as they play with their plain, red, balloon. I take that confidence when I’m in a situation outside of my comfort zone.

It’s my courage.

A child who treasures their plain, red, balloon, yet proactively asks others to play with it and share in their excitement. I take that courage when I make a risky decision.

You don't have to travel as far as Hambantota in Sri Lanka to have a red balloon experience. We all have countless experiences everyday. Have you considered how these can be applied to develop yourself in your work life?

What’s your red balloon?