When we talk about leadership and development, we often talk about being on a path. We all understand that a path leads somewhere; you can’t start a journey without that proverbial first step. But I don’t think we talk enough about taking a good look at the current path we’ve been on—for it’s rarely a path that we would have chosen or mapped out.

How often do you look back at your life and say, “Wow, look at how I got here!?” If you had read a preview of how that trip was going to turn out, you might have chosen to take a vacation or have had another drink. We tend to forget that our careers (and our life, for that matter) never proceed in a straight line; there are bumps, dips, turns, and seemingly instant acceleration. It’s important to remember that when you do find yourself in one of those right turns, or your life is accelerating at a numbing rate, that you have been there before and you may need to take a quick timeout.

The goal should be to reach a point where most things in life are not a surprise. Easier said than done, I know. But as you plan your career or your business goals, you need have an asterisk on your plan that says “You want to go here; you will adjust on the way.” Develop the perspective that your career life is an adventure, and you will take things as they come while trying to navigate the path you feel led to be on. This will reduce your frustrations and your “holy cow” moments, and hopefully provide you with the understanding of which turn or adjustment is the right one.

Every year when I reflect on all the things that have happened and what I’m doing now versus what I thought would occur, I usually chuckle (and sometimes cry), but in the end I’m glad that I’m still around to do something I love. So when I plan my next steps, I go into it with all my past experiences and hope that it will be as painless as possible, full of joy rather than gnashing of teeth, and with the expectation that somehow I can help make this world a better place.

Idealistic? Naïve? The answer is up to you. You have a choice on your “path” to be prepared for the twists and turns ahead. Will you be prepared for the inevitable, or will you let it derail you? I say, welcome the challenges and whenever possible rejoice in what’s going on. It may sound strange, but those turns in the road are what define you. We learn best from our mistakes and failures and how we handle those hurdles. Expecting them is not a pessimistic perspective; it’s a proactive approach from a position of readiness and strength. Welcoming them isn’t masochistic; it’s having the mindset that you intend to learn from each and every experience, no matter what, and that you see it all as a great adventure. So put on your seat belt and welcome the future—and know that it will be different than what you think.

Life often takes us on unexpected pathways. Take time to reflect on the path you’re on and how it’s different than where you thought you would be.

Some Additional Tips:
1. When planning your year and/or setting goals, make time for reflecting on where you have been or where you are going. This journey often needs slight adjustments, be ready to make them.

2. As cheesy as it sounds, be prepared for detours, your attitude and the way you handle those bumps are what affects your enjoyment and satisfaction of your work and life.

3. Pay it forward. Sharing this perspective and what you have learned from the last turn in the road will often help someone else avoid the same pitfall.

We all have times in our careers when we are driven by excitement and passion, and we all have times when work becomes a little more mundane. What is it that makes the difference?

All of us can admit to feeling the ebb and flow of this spectrum. When we took our first steps out of college campuses and into our first gigs, our new careers were (somewhat frightening) combinations of lack of experience and fearless desire to change the world. A few years into it though, and maybe the world isn’t much better yet for all the experience we’ve put in. Or maybe the day-in and day-out is getting under our skin a bit. Certain projects bring back the twinge of excitement we felt at first. Others may not. This is fine so long as they balance each other out.

However, if the “other” types of projects are winning the battle and leaving you feeling a little burnt out, I have a question for you. This question has helped me during these times.

Do you believe in what you do?

This isn’t the type of question you ask yourself when you have 30 seconds or so to think about it. It’s a gloves-off type of question between you and your heart. Between you and your college self who dreamed the dreams that resulted in where you are today.

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Unfortunately, in our current political culture, the notion that two opposing parties could come together for a singular purpose seems rather absurd. Rather, the norm is to stubbornly take sides. Dig our heels in. I’m right. They are wrong. Actually, this is nothing new. This was the case from our country’s very beginning. In 1787, the states’ delegates were so divided on whether on congressional representation should be equal amongst states (irregardless of their population) that it threatened the very basis (and existence) of the Constitution.

Fortunately, our forefathers learned how to be talk it out, how to see value from the other side. This situation (in 1787) eventually became known as “The Great Compromise” – a proposal that, while at the time seemed quite radical, was the beginning of our current representational structure (a proportional House of Representatives AND a Senate with equal representation).

In the business world, working with the competition is an even greater anomaly. Other than negotiating usage rights and/or buyout agreements, working with the other side is almost unheard of. That’s why the story of NUMMI is so intriguing.

NUMMI was a joint venture by GM and Toyota in the early 80s. Toyota was looking to enter the North American production space. GM was looking to learn the “secrets” of Toyota’s efficient production system. The results (and lessons) from the experience(s) is quite remarkable – in both what was accomplished and what was not. In fact, the lessons go well beyond GM and Toyota, but are incredibly insightful for our relationships today (business or not). But hearing the story from me would not do it justice. Instead, I invite you to take your next commute or car drive and listen to some of the best storytellers of our day, the team at NPR’s This American Life. Here is their story of NUMMI (personally, one of my favorite TAL episodes of all time.) Enjoy.

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Download story here.
or stream via the This American Life app here.

You already know this, but it’s worth taking a step back and mentioning again. When it comes down to it, your business is based on one very important thing: relationship. The relationships that you maintain both between your employees (or coworkers) and your clients are crucial to the success of your company. Without one or the other, your business would crumble.

One thing that’s essential to maintaining those relationships is taking time away from work to kick back and just get to know one another better. Time spent intentionally developing that relationship will create rapport on a personal level that will multiply productivity in the workplace.

With that in mind, we’re suggesting five work-free outings that are intended to strengthen or build those relationships.

Outings with Employees:

- Serve together. Try a local food pantry, shelter, hospital, or school. Giving of your time together will give your team something in common other than work projects.

- Play together. Take a vote for a fun non-skilled sporting or competitive activity that won’t single non-athletic team members out, such as bowling, laser tag, paintball, etc.

- Celebrate together. Don’t let a birthday or other milestone go buy without celebrating the unique aspects of your team member.

- Relax together. Go see a movie, a concert, a sporting event, go to a gallery, or try a new restaurant together.

- Dream together. Spend an afternoon talking about company goals and finding out what it is your employees dream about in their careers. How can you work together to make it happen?

Note: if possible, shut down your office for an afternoon and do your team-building activity during work hours. This will show your employees that you value their time and offer them a reserved space within work hours.

Outings with Clients:

- Serve together: Especially if your client is closely involved with a non-profit, give it a try and show them you support the same cause they do.

- Play together: Go to a sporting event together or get your entire teams together and do any of the above. If your client is a foodie, try a cooking competition – Iron Chef style.

- Celebrate together. If your client has had a big milestone that’s worth celebrating, show them you care by taking notice. Treat them to their favorite restaurant.

Note: find out what your clients love, and even if it’s something your team isn’t wild about it, give it a shot. It will show your client that you’re willing to learn something new and maybe your team will end up being inspired by something new.

Another note: Remember, this is really about getting to know your client. Take the time to find out something new about them in the process.

What do you think? What are your favorite non-work activities with clients or employees? Let us know in the comments.

Have you ever noticed that it’s difficult to work quickly without having some sort of fall out?

Sideways remarks, annoyed gazes or full out arguments seem to happen most often when the stakes are high. Whether it be personal or professional, tight deadlines and high pressure seem to be a breeding ground for resentment, frustration, miscommunications, ultimately resulting in unnecessary mistakes. We have all lived through the stress filled days and hurried nights to know the toll it takes on a company. But we are all aware that tight deadlines are inevitable and will happen every now and again. Rather than being surprised by the havoc they leave in their wake, why not plan for the storm before it gets here?

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