The leaders of an organization MUST be the drivers of the proverbial “safety vehicle.” They steer and control the acceleration and braking. They also choose where they want the organization to go and enter that info into the vehicle’s GPS.
The safety leader is the GPS on the journey. We take the input from the business leader(s) and chart a course to where they want to go. And like most GPSs these days, we need to offer a couple of different options to get where they want to go. They may want to “fastest” path, or they may want the most efficient path – it is their decision.
We are also constantly monitoring the journey and MUST have the ability to recognize the need for alternative course(s) to avoid obstacles and unexpected delays.
Management may decide to venture off the established path, or they may miss an exit or turn from time to time. We must recognize these deviations, recalculate a new path, or offer guidance to get them back on the original path.
But they are always driving; we offer guidance on how to best get them where they want the organization to go.
