About 25 years ago, while living in Munich, Germany, I had the opportunity of a lifetime. I had planned a vacation on the Spanish island of Ibiza but missed my flight, so I had to fly standby the next day. The next day, the boarding area was packed! After all the other passengers had boarded the flight, the gate agent approached me and told me he had good news and bad news. The good news was that there was a seat for me on the plane. The bad news was that it was the jump seat in the cockpit (which meant no cocktails on the flight!). I jumped at it and it turned out to be the opportunity of a lifetime.
The views were great, especially as we flew over the Alps. I also learned something that has stuck with me all these years – the path to a goal is rarely straight. As we taxied and took off, the pilot was in communication with Munich Ground Control. As soon as we were airborne, we were transferred to Munich Air Traffic Control who gave the pilot a heading number. The pilot spun a small knob on the control panel that matched the heading number and the plane slowly banked into a southwesterly direction. A few minutes into the flight, we were transferred to Innsbruck Air Traffic Control, who gave the pilot a new heading and, after the pilot turned the knob, the plane banked slightly to the right. After a short while, we were transferred to the Milan Air Traffic Control, who gave the pilot another new heading and the pilot once again turned the knob and the plane banked slightly to the left. And so it went – Genoa, Monaco, Marseille, Barcelona. Each time the pilot was given a new heading, he turned the knob and the plane banked slightly.
As we approached the island of Ibiza, we were finally transferred to Ibiza Air Traffic Control who guided us into the most harrowing landing I had ever experienced – we were headed straight into a big hill! The pilot must have seen the look on my face because he felt the need to reassure me that everything was okay. At what seemed like the last minute, we rounded the hill and the runway was right in front of us. Thank goodness we landed safely!
It occurred to me that even though we knew our starting point and our destination, the path was anything but direct. At each leg of the journey, we had to adjust our path. Had we remained on the path set by Munich Air Traffic Control I don’t know where we would have ended up! Our businesses and our lives are very similar to this flight. If we blindly set off without a goal, others can’t help us get to where we want to go. Also, as are on our journey, we have to make constant “course corrections” along the way. If we blindly stick to our original plan, we may not end up where we intend.
Many clients, when I first start working with them, assert that it is impossible to set long-term (or even mid-term) goals. Things are just too unpredictable! Once I help them with the process, however, they come to realize that it isn’t as difficult as they thought. Once the goals are set, it is important to review them often (at least yearly) to make course adjustments. Now, especially, is one of those times. Every year brings change, but 2020 was one for the history books – a worldwide pandemic, a struggling economy, social unrest, and a contested election! The way we work, market, sell, manage our employees, and maintain relationships with our customers have all changed in the past twelve months. Perhaps even our goals have changed. I’d love to help you set your goals, plan your course to get achieve them, and stay on track. Please give me a call to chat about how I can help