I don’t know this Dad’s name. But I’ve shared this story over and over – with clients, family members and myself – whenever something big seemed to be standing in the way of the goal. We have little control – actually no control – over these obstacles. All we can control is how we deal with them. While it’s wise to pause and analyze, if we do it too long, productivity suffers. Morale too.
In this story (I was told it’s true) is a creative approach to dealing with an obstacle – an actual bridge – that was standing in the way of goal. It’s a powerful message to results oriented managers from a Dad in a Chevrolet.
There’s a small Mexican town called Sabinas, situated on the slopes of the Sierra Madres with the Salado River running through. A few concrete dams were built across the river, serving as bridges to Monterrey and other cities.
On a September day in 1960, there was heavy rain and the river rose two feet above the dam. Trucks and buses could still make it across the 100 yard stretch, but cars had a hard time.
As drivers slowly eased into the current attempting to cross the bridge, Carlos and Pedro stood by with their tow trucks ready to sell their services. They even made bets on how far each car would make it before stalling. When a car did stall, Carlos and Pedro went to their rescue – at a very high price.
Along came a family in a 1955 Chevrolet wagon – a mother, a father and three kids, all anxious to return to the states. Carlos offered to tow them across for 1500 pesos – half the amount of cash the family had for the rest of their trip.
As Mom and Dad discussed the fee, they watched several drivers stall out while crossing the bridge. Then they watched a bus charge across with no problem.
Another bus approached and suddenly, without warning, Dad started the engine, gunned it and hugged the bumper of the bus. All stared in amazement as both bus and Chevy crossed the river successfully.
Many of us approach obstacles the way many cars tried to cross the Salado River – slowly, cautiously, methodically determined to make it on their own. Then paying exorbitant fees to get out of trouble.
While the driver of this Chevy looked at the situation, studied it quickly, saw an opportunity and gunned it – FAST. Crossing in the path made by the bus.
There seem to be lots of flooded business bridges these day – leaving us stuck far from goal with tough decisions and limited resources.
Some of us choose to pay exorbitant fees to have someone take us across and have nothing left once on the other side. And sometimes that works out.
Some of us try on our own and flood out.
Some of us stay paralyzed by fear or indecision – stuck – just on the other side of what we set out to achieve.
And a few of us look for and find creative opportunities to collaborate or partner with others – utilizing power without draining resources.
Wouldn’t it be great to go ahead and get across the bridge?
We’d love to help you!
copyright 2009 – Jan Bolick, Business Class Inc
Jan has thirty-two years of sales, management and coaching experience. Her primary focus is working with top level managers who have aggressive goals for better bottom line results. Read more about coaching programs here.
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