At age 16, it’s not unusual for a young adult in North Carolina to apply for and get a new job – as a driver.
It’s a very big job – opening up loads of opportunities. Plus challenges, responsibilities and potential problems.
My dad wanted to be sure his daughters understood these responsibilities. Most of all he worried about one of us getting stranded on the road (cell phones hadn’t been invented).
So in addition to the driving tests required by the state – we had to pass his test which included demonstrating to him that we could lift the hood, check the oil, water and hoses, change the oil and change a tire. But not just one tire. All four. To be sure we could loosen all the lug nuts.
NO ONE else we knew had to do this.
Though I thought it was ridiculous that we had to do it, I’ll have to admit that these exercises gave me greater respect and awareness for the machine I was about to drive, for what it would be like if it broke down and I was stranded. Of course, I wanted to keep this from happening. But if it did happen, I knew I could handle it.
Thirty-five years later, with cell phones and AAA making it less likely of getting stranded for very long, I still asked Dad to help get my son ready for the road. Of course he (my son) thought it was ridiculous. But I felt better about him being on the road.
Just a few months later, he was about 100 miles away from home when he had a blow out. He called to tell me how he was handling it and I could be wrong, but I think he was very proud that he was prepared. I think he was grateful too.
So this lesson I learned from my Dad is:
Whenever possible, provide hands on practice for emergency situations. That’s because reading what to do is good. Doing it is even better.
And reading AND doing is better still for building skill and confidence – leading to greater independence so that when things do go wrong, people and their organizations aren’t left stranded.
A wonderful boost for morale, productivity and overall performance.
For your team members, what situations might leave them stranded or vulnerable? A winter storm? A power outage? A flat tire?
What can you do to help them prepare?
Also – got any lessons to share – lessons you learned from your Dad?
