There are seasons as a leader when it’s okay to cruise.
If you were driving cross country, you wouldn’t hesitate to use cruise control on those long boring stretches; you’d be unwise not to.
We drive a big green van from the ’90s on all family road trips, and wouldn’t you know it, the cruise control doesn’t work.
I want to cruise, I used to drive with my thumbs, but the green machine would like me to stay vigilant, never resting, never easing off, always on. The way many of us approach work.
As leaders, we need to pay attention to the seasons we’re in and the conditions we are navigating.
- Is it rush hour?
- Are we racing for some reason and need our leather driving gloves?
- Or is it an endless straightaway with perfect visibility, an ideal time to throw in the AirPods and block out the road noise (kids)?
Each requires something different from us.
Don’t mistake ‘cruise control leading’ for taking it easy.
I’m not talking about work/life balance btw. I’m talking about letting go of the day-to-day for a stretch, sacrificing a few small to-dos for the chance of a big haiku. (Wayne’s World definition)
There are seasons where you can’t be on it, you can’t be in it, and it’s okay to cruise. But too many leaders never set down the details long enough to THINK.
“If you are a directional leader, the main thing you bring to the table is your thinking, not your doing.”
If you are a directional leader, the main thing you bring to the table is your thinking, not your doing. Share on XCruising is thinking. Thinking is leading. Finkle is Einhorn.
So, what does it look like for leaders to intentionally cruise? And does it even count as leadership if we hit the cruise control button for a few exits?
Let’s find out…
1. SIMPLIFY YOUR SCHEDULE.
Your schedule left unchecked will always drift towards a traffic jam. The first step towards cruising is carving out space in your calendar.
•How many meetings do I need to be at, or is there someone on the team who could represent me?
To take it a step further…
•Is there someone on the team who would really benefit from trying to represent me in these meetings?
One step further…
•Is there something in me that needs to be in those meetings because it makes me feel important?
Too far? I’ll back off. Let’s not go there yet.
2. ADJUST YOUR PLAYER/COACH RATIO.
Whenever you lead shoulder to shoulder with your team it can be a great way to stay sharp, show people you understand the weight of what they do and earn their respect. (Especially if you’re good.) However, when cruise control is needed, dial back how hands-on you are. Steer with your knees or let someone else take the wheel while you sit shotgun.
And don’t be surprised if you find out there are people better than you at tasks you’ve been unwilling to surrender.
3. DELEGATE AUTHORITY FOR A BIG PROJECT TO SOMEONE ELSE.
If you want to cruise it starts with NOT leading everything. Simple enough. Easier said than done and often not the case.
If I’m the leader of this area, team, or organization, I should lead the most significant projects. Right?
I get it, but…
“If you want to lead a culture that transcends you it starts with letting others lead too.”
And when we hand over the reins for a project, it positions us to do our best thinking, to raise our gaze higher, to cruise!
4. PLAY ‘HOOKY’ AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS.
Translation: Test the system.
Does your vision happen when you are absent?
Can this thing function without me? Well, the only way to find out is to be without you.
“Sometimes the best play is no play.”
Stop showing up for a bit and see what happens. Do I dare suggest that you play hooky?
Does it still work? Can people make decisions without you? Or do you need to be there for it to all work smoothly?
Pick a day to work offsite and ‘play hooky.’ It’s the only way to find out if you’ve led in a way that works without you. (Great non-play!)
In my world, when we only had a handful of campuses to manage there was a lot of pressure to physically be everywhere as much as possible. Today we have ten different locations which has forced us to learn to lead without being present. What has become painfully clear to me now is that vision worth following will happen whether I’m there or not.
“A vision worth following will happen whether you’re there or not.”
5. DO LESS, THINK MORE.
Once you have successfully delegated the present and simplified your schedule the weight of the everyday grind will lessen.
You are now lighter meaning you are poised to fly higher, unencumbered by the urgent—ready to tackle the important—and do your best thinking. You are cruising. Congratulations!
“When you learn to set down the immediate, you’ll find that it’s fertile ground for “AHA’s” and epiphanies.”
When you learn to set down the immediate, you’ll find that it’s fertile ground for “AHA’s” and epiphanies. Share on XThe mountain of work is resized by the increased altitude, and you can clearly see past the obstacles to all the opportunities that await.
Cruising at higher altitudes means less resistance. It also makes your problems look way smaller! You are finally free to focus on the future. You are back… to the future. (I never understood that phrase as a kid. Now I get it… I think. Do you?)
It makes me wonder if directional leaders should always fly that high.
But what do I know? I’m just a blogger.
Cruising counts as leadership.
It’s not only necessary but ‘next level.’
Yeah, it’s less intense but that doesn’t mean less effective.
“If you are truly leading, you will be needing to cruise at some point. That’s not a bad thing; it’s a brave thing.”
If you are truly leading, you will be needing to cruise at some point. That’s not a bad thing; it’s a brave thing. Share on XDo yourself a favor. Admit that you are human and build a team around you that can lead in your place.
Your thinking will thank you. (And so will your team.)
Parting Questions:
•As a leader, do you feel like you can allow yourself to hit cruise control, to occasionally sit shotgun?
•What does it look like for you to take your foot off the gas and sit crisscross-applesauce for a while?
•Can you still sit crisscross-applesauce? (Comment below!)
THANKS FOR READING, reacting, sharing, and swearing at me if you disagree! Would love to hear your thoughts!
Leading these days ain’t easy. Let’s cheer each other on.
Wisdom