Drive

Well, good morning, good afternoon, or good evening, depending on when and where you are.  Thank you for listening to episode seven of The Blue Collar Executive podcast.  I am your host Lewis Taulbee, Jr.  Today let's talk about drive.  When we hear the word drive, we think about driving a car, boat, an airplane, or maybe even driving cattle, but with all of these we are the driver.  What's driving us can be more complex, but very important for our success in life.  Let's stop and check the map for a minute and make sure whatever's driving us isn't driving us in the wrong direction.  I was barely tall enough to see over the steering wheel as I sat in the driveway pretending to turn the wheel and shift the gears of our 1979 Ford Pinto.  There wasn’t a key in the ignition, but in my mind I was driving in the Cannonball Run.  I was startled when the passenger door opened and dad hopped in, closed the door and said let's go.  I asked where to and he said “I need to run down to your uncle's house”.  I laughed because I was sure he was joking, but without even a grin, he reached over, stuck the key in the ignition and said, “let's go, it's hot in here”.  I thought I'd call his bluff and started the car, put it in reverse and started backing down the driveway.  Before I got to the road I stopped and said, “dad I can't do this”.  My heart was beating out of my chest by this time.  Dad gave me a slight reassuring grin and said, “sure you can, just keep it between the ditches and let's go”.  I pulled onto the road and drove down to my uncle's house.  It was only seven houses down, less than a 10th of a mile, and I don't think I even got out of first gear, but I'll never forget that sense of empowerment I felt knowing the command I had over this Pinto as the driver.  I was absolutely terrified, relieved, overjoyed, excited, and proud all at the same time.  I started with that story to help understand what drive really is.  For that Pinto, I was driving it and it moved in the direction it was steered not mattering if it was a 10 year old boy or Mario Andretti driving.  The difference was I wasn't driving it straight and if I had needed to shift gears, I probably would have grinded them.  I drove it much slower and the potential of driving into a ditch was much greater with me driving.  So think of us as that Pinto or depending on your style, you can be a Mustang, Corvette, pickup truck.  You get the point.  As the driver, we can either drive that vehicle safely and smoothly straight to our destination, or we could also drive it in circles until it runs out of gas.  It's the same with what drives us.  It could drive us in circles until we run out of gas or it could get us where we want to go safely and effectively.  We really need to understand what it is that is driving us and where it's taking us.  How many times have you said this is driving me crazy?  It's those things that we need to keep out of our driver's seat.  I was once in a meeting with a prominent developer and he asked what drives me.  I started to respond quickly, but then hesitated.  It took a lot of thought for me to answer.  On the surface that seemed like a very simple question, but I struggled to identify the key factors that really motivate me to move forward.  I suppose some people could answer very quickly with money or something they're passionate about, but for me it's the job at hand.  It could be from planting a garden, to developing a multi-million dollar shopping mall.  I'm driven by whatever I have my mind set to at the moment.  It doesn't matter how big or how small.  Completing it as efficiently and thoroughly as possible is what drives me.  I have to continually stop myself and ask if what's driving me is the best use of my time and is it taking me in the right direction to achieve my ultimate goal?  This characteristic about myself used to bother me.  I always admired people that could have the patience to do a project a little here and a little there.  No way.  Having an unfinished project is what keeps me up at night.  When we purchased our house in Columbus, Ohio, my wife wanted a large deck.  I drew up the plans on a Friday night and went to get the supplies.  My younger brother, who is wired the same as me, came to stay the weekend and help out with the project.  He arrived on Friday evening and we went right to work.  My neighbor was sitting on his back patio watching.  I told him my plan was to have this deck built before Sunday.  He just laughed, but Sunday morning we were sitting on a 20 by 25 foot deck with a hexagonal dining corner, drinking iced tea.  My neighbor walked out of his house and looked at us in disbelief.  He said when you told me that you were going to do that this weekend, I thought there was no way.  My brother and I still laugh when we think about the expression on his face.  To us, that's just the way we've always done things.  My point is, it's not how everyone does things.  Not saying either is better.  My neighbor will probably live longer than I will, but I will likely accomplish more in my life.  You can be a mule, thoroughbred or somewhere in between.  All are very productive in their own way, but all are driven differently.  The mule will likely outlive the thoroughbred, but it will never feel the glory of winning a race.  However, the mule doesn't aspire to run a race.  So as long as it enjoys the pasture, it is just as successful as that thoroughbred.  The issue I see a lot though, is the mule feels entitled to win the derby just because it has four legs like the horse.  It doesn't want to run.  It just wants to do nothing and complain about how unfair things are and criticize the horse for succeeding.  We all know someone like that.  Again, it's perfectly fine to be the mule, just own it and be content with where you are and be happy for others.  When I hire people, more than experience, I look for characteristics that will to fit the position.  This is a big one.  If the job is to race in a derby, I don't want to hire a mule.  On the other hand, I don't want to hire a thoroughbred if I have a field that needs plowed.  Early in my career I was on a business trip in LA.  We were there for three days and every morning we walked across this little park that was between the hotel and the office we were going to.  Every morning I noticed this young man sleeping on a bench.  Every afternoon on our return to the hotel, he was still sitting on that same bench.  He appeared to be in his early twenties, well-groomed and in good physical shape.  He certainly didn't have the appearance of a typical homeless person.  I knew he was homeless because he was spending the night on that bench.  On our last day, when returning to the hotel, I couldn't resist stopping to speak with him.  I walked over, greeted him with a handshake and introduced myself.  I said, “I just have to ask.  What is your story?”.  He seemed to be a little irritated by my question.  I continued.  “Man, you look like you have it all together.  A lot of great things going for you.  You could really make something of yourself and be very successful.”  Just as I finished speaking, he became visibly upset and he replied, “What makes you think you have it all figured out and I don't?  Does that suit make you successful?  I have seen you walk by here every day with your tie tied tight and your shoes shined up and I think to myself, I'm thankful I'm not that guy.  You're probably going into a high-pressure meeting.  Your blood pressure and stress levels are probably very high, but you don't have a choice because you probably have a house payment, car payments, student loans, and a lot of other debt that won't allow you to enjoy a day here in my park.  I have no stress, no debt.  I enjoy every moment of life.  So while I thank you for your concern, you really should be more concerned about yourself.”  Wow.  He was absolutely right.  I enjoy what I do and there certainly is an element of stress.  It's what I'm wired to do.  However, as he so eloquently pointed out, the meaning of success is not the same for everyone.  I honestly don't know what the true meaning of success is, but I believe it's when you achieve whatever goals you set for yourself and you're content with where you are in life.  In short, success is being happy.  You can be happy as a thoroughbred or mule, as a Pinto or a Mustang.  Remember when Moses was at the Gates of Canaan and he wanted to go in and take over the city?  He sent 12 spies in to determine what needed to be done.  Ten of those spies came back and said, “No way.  Can't do it”.  Caleb and Joshua came back and said, “We got this”.  No problem.”  Because of their courage, Joshua lead them to the promised land, marched in and successively took it over.  The key was that whatever drove Joshua and Caleb was different than what drove those other 10 spies.  If you're driving in the right direction and you know in your heart you're on the right path, don't ever let fear or obstacles stop you.  Find your way around them, over them or through them.  Look at the computer, phone or Ipad, whatever you're listening to this on right now.  When you're using it for work, your speed, productivity and the overall job depends on the internal drive.  With a sluggish and non-reliable drive it's hard to accomplish anything, but with a strong drive you can deliver to your highest potential.  What is shifting your gears and pressing your accelerator?  It is much more thought provoking than it appears on the surface.  Since we're all different there's no one size fits all either.  When we're the driver, we choose what vehicle we want to get us from point A to point B, whether that's a sports car to get us there faster, a luxury car to give us a more comfortable ride, or maybe it's a utility vehicle to serve a purpose.  Whatever it is, we know how to choose what we drive, but choosing what drives us can be far more difficult.  Think about what's driving you today.  Pull out your map and confirm whatever it is has you on the right path to your destination.  Don't let it take you the wrong way or you'll run out of gas before you get there.  Continue in the right direction and always keep the heart and determination of Joshua and enjoy your journey.  Well, that concludes another episode of The Executive Blue Collar podcast.  I hope you found some value in it or at the very least found it entertaining.  I wish you all great success and thank you so much for listening.