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Any road will do – if you don’t know where you are going

Wicus Van Biljon

22-08-18

Some of the Business owners I have been talking to have been on a staycation, a new concept to the guy from South Africa but it is basically a holiday within the United Kingdom and close to your home.

Back in South Africa we lived by the ocean so everyday was a day spent with friends at the beach swimming in the sea and just relaxing so when I reveal this staycation concept my children had plenty to say as they believed this is what we had done for most of their holidays…in all fairness we lived in a holiday town so every holiday it was swamped with visitors and holiday makers.

This made me think of a few car journeys I have done whilst resident here in the UK. I had a carefully constructed plan care of my navigation system. I knew when to set off, what route I would take (more or less), where I would stop for a break, believe me travelling with family this is paramount and what time I was looking to arrive.

So, I set off on time (well done and an achievement if you know my family) but 10 minutes into the journey my fifteen year daughter realises she has left her overnight bag with make up in at home – CATASTROPHY. I turnaround, go back and collect the bag, now I spend time stuck in the traffic I had hope to avoid by setting off when I did, then there’s a puncture…. I’m sure I don’t need to go on as we have all been there at some point but what did you do? You re-adjusted your plans – perhaps decided to take a different route to avoid the traffic and phone ahead to re-arrange your arrival time – that simple but what about the business plan?

Now I’m from South Africa so imagine that journey is through Namibia – plans need to be a bit firmer, you may set off with a plan B, C , D and E as well as a what if scenario (trust me, having made the trip you’ll need it) – you need spare tyres (the plural), extra water, spare fuel – just for starters and you may still end up in a unplanned situation and need to make a snap decision (your monkey brain kicks in and you enter survival mode – flight or fight responses come to the fore) and with some adjustment to the plan (because that Elephant is just not moving) and a great deal of luck you make it out alive – great on a Namibian road trip (one hell of a story to tell the grandkids) not so great in the boardroom.

The problem is in business these knee jerk monkey brain decisions all too often end up shaping the course of our journey, steel the enjoyment, make life a bit too hectic, resources a bit tight and passengers a bit fraught and wondering why they got in your car in the first place!

Whilst I’m a great believer in moving forward and concentrating on the road ahead – that’s why the windscreen in a car is so big and the rear-view (hmm or review) so small. Sometimes you need to pull your head up, look behind you and all around before driving one more mile down an unplanned route that could lead to a dead end (or a pride of hungry Lions occupying the campsite – true story).

You might decide you need a guide – someone who’s made the journey, has a map, has a very good idea who needs to be in (or out) of the car and has a good idea where those stubborn Elephants and hungry Lions are?

Give me a call, happy to chat through any concerns you have.

Wicus

Author: Wicus Van Biljon

I'm well aware of the challenges facing SMEs today, and what it's like to be caught in the owner's trap.

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