“Life is a journey that must be travelled no matter how bad the roads and accommodations” Oliver Goldsmith

Ok, here we are, each on our life journey.

So, what is business life like for you these days? Are you travelling on a highway, a freeway, a bypass or back-end road? And if you chose a Highway or Freeway, what were the factors that influenced this, what were you thinking?

We become so attached to what we think we should be doing, or what others think we should be doing, that it’s hard to imagine anything else. But then, all of a sudden life throws up this need to take a detour.

“Well, now that I am on his highway/freeway, where’s the nearest exit, I need to find a rest room!”

And don’t you know it, because we need an exit to accommodate this function, we’re either:

1. Totally unfamiliar with the territory
2. Unable to find one, no matter how hard we look,
3. Giving our glut and butt muscles an extraneous workout
4. Starting to think about all sorts of short-term options to accommodate the urgent need for relief.

It goes without saying, the immediate need overrides all else and we run the risk of being totally off course.

So where’s the nearest guide, road map, compass or GPS that will show me how to get where I really need and want to be. Sometimes, we have to take the backend roads to return to the highways.

If we are stuck on a back road, a GPS will be overkill, maybe a compass check is what’s needed, whereas if we are seeking a wider view a GPS is definitely more appropriate. Or, maybe we need to rethink the entire thing, and that’s hardly appetising, after so much effort.

So what detour are we taking, and if I am being honest, am I really viewing this with total objectivity?

What have I missed, what’s gone under the radar, and how far off track have we really gone? When did I begin to lose control and what preceded it?

And more to the point, have I really been noticing what is affecting business, the people in the business, people running the business, and communities.

With some honesty, clarity and laughter tackling the above issues usually becomes a lot easier when we are relaxed and have faith in the processes of detours, you never know what you might find.

If you find that you are stuck on a backend road and need to find your way back to the highway, let’s travel together and truncate that detour.

By Heather Macauley : Heather is a Cause & Effective Associate who helps not for profits and small business to discover better ways to move forward and grow and can be contacted here.