When the semester ended during my college years in Indiana, I always left the moment my last exam was finished. I was heading home to the suburbs of Philadelphia. It was a 12 hour drive from college to home and my goal was to only stop for gas.
One time, at the end of a spring semester as a friend and I were driving back to Philly, we were stopped by the state police half through the western mountains of Pa on I-70. It was the middle of the night, and we were not speeding.
The officer informed us that the rear lights on my car were not functioning properly. Together, the three of us figured out that a fuse had burned out and needed to be replaced. Knowing it was the middle of the night, he gave me a warning and asked that we drive the rest of the way home with our four way flashers on. Once he left, we turned on the four way flashers and continued onward, knowing that we had 6-7 more hours to go.
After 20 minutes of this constant blinking on the dashboard, we were going a bit crazy. So, we dug out the car’s first aid kit and put multiple band aids over the blinking lights so we could not see them. We also turned up the music on the radio to drown out the noise. Then, it was smooth sailing all the way home, and within an hour we did not even notice the distraction. In short, the warning lights no longer registered, and we just let the miles fly by.
Right now, many leaders and organizations are driving with the four flashers on, and they have the band aids in place. They are totally oblivious to the consequences or the impact of this choice. The band-aids that were a short term coping mechanism have ended up becoming long term blinders. The challenge now is to take off the band-aids.
The first step to doing this is to define optimal or best performance at each level of the company even in the midst of these challenging times. The greater the level of clarity and understanding about this level of performance, the greater our ability as leaders to create the right environment for optimal performance to take place. However, when we choose to do this, we must recognize that this level of understanding can only be achieved through common language and a common understanding of the strategic intent of the company.
The second step is to give yourself and others permission to ask for help. As venture capitalist Eugene Kleiner noted, “in a tornado, even a turkey can fly.” We should not be waiting until the tornado has overtaken us and generated complete and total chaos before people can ask for help.
Years ago, Norman Vincent Peale and Ken Blanchard wrote that we have two selves, namely our external task-oriented self, and our internal reflective self. Most people are only focused on their task-oriented self. They do not give themselves permission to take time for their internal reflective self, mostly because this is a longer and more deliberate process. Instead, they choose to live in a world of constant interruptions, hoping things will get better. Yet, in reality they are drowning in minutia and often feel broken and alone.
Years ago, Ken and Margie Blanchard also noted that we need to “gain a balance between success and fulfillment.” Fulfillment is about “connecting your life and work, connecting spirituality, and balancing time at work with your family and friends.” Along a similar line of thought, Rabbi Kushner, author of When Bad Things Happen to Good People, contends that there are two acts in life. In Act 1, we focus on “Achieve,” and in Act 2 “Connect.” The Achieve act is about setting goals and completing them. For many this is all that matters. The Connect act is about fulfillment, and can be found in relationships, health, and spirituality.
But in the beginning, we need to have the courage to ask for help. We need to create a network of support that helps us gain perspective and insights about our choices. We need to do this in order that we do not live a life where the four way flashers are blinking out a danger signal, and we are ignoring them in order to achieve a goal or destination that may be detrimental to our health, relationships, and well being over time.
In the end, my college friend and I did make it home safe and sound. The following day, we removed the bandaids, and replaced the burned out fuse. But from that day forward, I made sure that a collection of spare fuses were tucked away in the glove compartment of that car. Being prepared for the next journey allowed me to be a better driver, and in time a better person.
© Geery Howe 2025
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