Law # 4 – The Law Of Navigation

Have you given enough thought to where you are headed as a leader, or more importantly where you are leading those who are following you?  In today’s busy world, we have become so busy with putting out today’s fires that tomorrow’s fire has already started and a full blaze by the time we get there.  Not unlike a ship captain who sets course for a destination far away, a leader need to do the same for his people.  A course needs to be set to take your team to their destination in the safest, most economical way.  Anyone can steer the ship, but it takes a successful leader to chart the course.  This is what is referred to as the Law of Navigation.

John Maxwell in his 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership gives us the following acrostic:

• Predetermine a course of action
• Lay out your goals
• Adjust your priorities
• Notify key personnel
• Allow time for acceptance
• Head into action
• Expect Problems
• Always point to successes
• Daily review your plan

For me personally, this has been a great tool to organize my work and reach goals more productively and with better results.  When going through this process of “planning ahead”, clarity and focus are much easier to attain.

Let’s consider three potential directions you may be headed …

1) In The Wrong Direction – If you plan has not been well thought out, “your course not charted”, you are most likely headed in the wrong direction.  Any successful journey is a product of hard work and proper planning.  Yes, there is luck, but I do not suggest making that the basis for your business model.  The key is to identify that you are headed in the wrong direction before you get too far off course.

2) No Direction at All (Adrift) – If you have no plan at all I would suggest you are not necessarily headed in the wrong direction, but in no direction at all.  Somewhat like being adrift in a boat.  If we know the destination but are not headed there, we are going in the wrong direction.  When we don’t even know the destination, how do we know if we are headed in the right direction or not?  I would bet that very rarely do you pull out of your driveway without knowing where you are headed.  Leadership is no different.  A leader know the destination and uses his resources to navigate the best course.

3) The Right Direction – Knowing your destination and understanding the obstacle that stand  in the way of reaching that destination will allow you to chart the best course and navigate safely and efficiently to your destination.  There may be surprises along the way but again, proper navigation will allow you to make minor course adjustments along the way to get there.

Hopefully this framework will be helpful in determining the course and direction needed for you to successfully navigate your team.

Next Up: Law #5 – The Law of Addition

Barry Smith www.buildingwhatmatters.com  6/6/12