Tag Archives: sailing and leadership

Factoring in Outside Influences

By Peter Jeff
The Leadership Mints Guy

Here’s an idea to keep you aware of all factors in decision-making. Reading time: 3:15

Factoring outside influences is the hallmark of the most effective leaders. To remind yourself of how effective those outside influences are in your decision-making, think of the airplane heading from Miami to Fargo, ND.

coriolisIf the pilot kept the original heading out of Miami the plane would have landed 500 miles to the east of Fargo near Detroit. That’s why pilots have to factor the Cariollis Effect- the rotation of the earth-into their flight plans.

And that’s why the most effective leaders know the significance in making minor adjustments at the beginning of a project that have a wide-ranging impact.

It’s finesse more than force marks that drives a leader’s strategic adjusting. Consider sailing a boat or riding a horse.

In sailing a boat, alignment stems more from the strategically timed and thoughtful adjustment of the trim tab than from gripping the tiller or grabbing the wheel in haste.

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