Are You Driving to Conditions?

Last week, I found myself on the highway in dense fog.

I could see maybe two or three truck lengths ahead. The rest? Just white. Like the road had been swallowed. Like it might open into another universe if I drove far enough.

Normally, I cruise that stretch a little over the speed limit of 100 km/h. Just enough to feel rebellious. Just slow enough to not fund the province.

The fog changed that.

I was on full alert.

I was scanning for deer. Watching for brake lights. Squinting at highway signs that disappeared before I could read them. Checking my rearview for some whackadoodle flying through the mist like physics didn’t apply to him.

And apparently? There was an RCMP truck sitting off to the right.

I did not see it.

It wasn’t immediate danger.
But it could have been an expensive consequence.

Business Looks Easy… Until It Isn’t

You’re rolling along. Revenue steady. Team humming. Decisions familiar. You know this road.

Then something shifts.

A key client leaves.
Cash tightens.
A team member falters.
Market conditions change.
Energy dips.

Fog.

And here’s the real question:

Are you still driving like it’s clear?
Or are you adjusting to conditions?

The capable owners I work with are built for speed.
Speed is not their problem.

What they sometimes forget is how to recalibrate.

Leadership Is Adaptive, Not Automatic

When visibility drops, you don’t panic.

You drive to conditions.

In business, that means:

• Testing whether effort is translating to profit.

• Noticing where you’ve become the bottleneck again.

• Creating new benchmarks instead of clinging to last quarter’s pace.

Your brain goes into rapid-fire mode. Measuring. Adjusting. Recalculating.

That’s not weakness.

That’s leadership.

What You Don’t See Can Still Cost You

I didn’t see the RCMP truck.

Not because I’m reckless.

Because conditions changed and I was laser-focused on the road ahead.

Where might you be assuming you’re fine?

What opportunities are hidden in the mist?
What risks are sitting quietly on the shoulder?
What dead ends look like open highway?

Sometimes success lulls you into cruise control.

And cruise control in fog is foolish. Let’s call it an unnecessary risk.

Adjust to the conditions in front of you.

👉 If you found value here, forward this to a friend or colleague who’s ready to melt the ice in their own business.
New here? Subscribe to: You CAN Change Your Business.