The Bathurst countdown is revving up. Vroom vroom, with less than four weeks to go!
We have checked the rear-view mirror, switched on the headlights and explored what else might appear on the map. Now it is time to reach for the gearstick as we explore the fourth Drive Your Career capability: Shifting Gears.
When it comes to goals, there can be a temptation to accelerate immediately. Once a destination has been identified, we may feel pressure to start moving quickly, demonstrate progress and reach it as efficiently as possible.
But car enthusiasts know that faster is not automatically better.
Different driving conditions require different gears. Choosing the wrong one can leave the engine straining, the vehicle stalling or the driver struggling to build momentum. A gear that works well on an open road may not be suitable for navigating a steep hill, a tight corner or stop-start traffic.
Perhaps our goals deserve the same level of consideration.
Movement is not only about speed
Goal setting and planning are not simply about deciding what we want to achieve and accelerating towards it. They can also involve considering the pace, effort, support and approach that the journey may require.
Some goals may benefit from energy and decisive movement. Others may need patience, preparation, experimentation or time to gather the right support. Sometimes the goal itself is not the problem. We may simply be attempting to approach it in a gear that does not suit the current conditions.
This does not mean waiting until the entire road is clear or every detail has been planned. It means becoming more intentional about how we begin moving and recognising that changing gear is not the same as abandoning the destination.
There are times when accelerating is appropriate. There are also times when slowing down, building traction or preparing for a change in terrain may be the wiser move. Even racing drivers do not spend an entire race in top gear, despite what our enthusiasm may occasionally suggest.
Gear Selection
This week’s downloadable activity, Gear Selection, offers an opportunity to think differently about a current goal and the approach it might need from you.
The activity creates space to pause before accelerating and consider how you are approaching the journey. It contains the prompts and visual space needed to explore your goal without prescribing one correct gear or pace.
What gear does this goal need from you right now?
Download the full Shifting Gears Gear Selection activity here
Your answer may confirm that it is time to build momentum. It may also reveal that something about your current approach deserves another look. Either discovery can provide useful information before you travel further.
A little team curiosity spark
Have you ever considered what vehicle alignment might reveal about the difference between people working hard and a team moving in the same direction?
I will leave that question in the workshop rather than unpacking the metaphor here. It is one of the automotive-inspired ideas I use to help teams become curious about effort, direction and how effectively people are moving together. Reach out if you would like to explore this idea further or discuss how my automotive-inspired approach could help your team gain clarity and get unstuck.
Before you accelerate
A goal does not always need more pressure, greater speed or a heavier foot on the accelerator. Sometimes, it needs a more suitable approach for the conditions we are navigating now.
Selecting a gear is not a once-only decision. As the terrain, circumstances or available support changes, we can pause, notice what is happening and adjust our approach.
What gear does your goal need from you right now?
Next, we will move from selecting a gear to taking hold of the wheel as we explore the fifth Drive Your Career capability: Forward Steering.
Reach out directly to chat more about my Drive Your Career: Shift Gears with Hope and Purpose approach and how it can support you or your team to get curious, gain clarity and get unstuck.
Jenn Barfield - Holistic Clarity Coaching 