Drive Like A Shark

Drive Like A Shark

By

Eric M. Twiggs

“If everything's under control, you're going too slow.” ― Mario Andretti.

What can a Shark teach you about driving?  In addition to starring on the hit TV show “Shark Tank”, Robert Herjavec is an entrepreneur and a competitive race car driver.   In his book “Driven: How to Succeed in Business and in Life,” He uses an analogy he learned from his racing experience, to explain the difference between the world class drivers and everyone else.

According to Robert, the difference shows up in what they do when they hit a corner at 200 miles per hour and their car begins to spin. 

He explains it this way: When your car begins to spin, you notice the wall ahead of you.  You don’t want to hit it because you risk losing the race or even your life.  

The normal reaction is to look at the wall, because it’s a threat to be avoided at all costs.   You are taught not to look at the wall, because if you do, you are sure to hit it!

Unlike the novices, the best drivers in the world, avoid looking at the wall and fix their eyes on where they want to go, which is down the track ahead of them.

In other words, they are more focused on the opportunity in front of them than they are the danger.   This allows them to keep moving forward in spite of hitting a bad turn in the road. 

Are your eyes fixed on the road or the risks?  Your life is always moving in the direction you’re looking.  If you’re always hitting the wall, it’s because that’s where your eyes are!    Stay with me and you will learn about the two common “walls” that keep most people distracted.   

Fear of the Unknown

This wall keeps many leaders from confronting under-performing employees.  The common belief is “the devil you know” is better than an unknown devil.

I know what you’re thinking: “Eric, the devil I know is failing to schedule exit appointments, not holding margins, or following the phone process, but at least he’s comes to work on time!” 

Instead of focusing on the danger of hiring someone worse, consider the opportunity to bring in somebody better. 

The Nascar world is similar to your shop in the following way: the racing teams that win the most, have the right people in their cars.  The devil you know, doesn’t get to take a victory lap at the Auto Repair 500.

Fear of Failure

This fear exists because of our tendency to overestimate the worst case scenario. The wall usually appears when you are thinking about raising prices. 

You start visualizing an angry mob of customers lining up at your door with pitch forks because you increased your labor rate by $3.  Then after making the change, you realize your customers are still happy and no one even noticed the difference.

If you look back over your life, most of the worst case scenarios you envisioned never became reality.  Mark Twain said it best when he said “I’ve had a lot of problems in my life, most of which never happened.”

Instead of focusing on the danger of failure, start looking at the opportunity in front of you to offset your ever increasing costs.  Even if you spend your entire day looking at the wall, the power company still expects to be paid! 

So there you have it.  If you focus on seizing the opportunity instead of staring at the wall, you will drive like a shark! 

Sincerely,

Eric M. Twiggs

The Accountability Coach

www.autotraining.net

PS. Email etwiggs@autotraining.net  if you would like to receive an instruction sheet on how to create a goal poster that will keep you focused on your goals instead of the dangers.