The bus analogy

Nothing to do with waiting ages and 3 coming at once

https://unsplash.com/photos/6fF-Ojxov6o?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditShareLink

Here’s some wisdom from my favourite thinker, Seth Godin.

‘Your first mistake was getting on the A53 bus, the one that goes crosstown instead of to where you're going.

Mistakes like this happen all the time.

The big mistake, though, the one that will cost you, is staying on that bus.

I know it wasn't easy to get on the bus. I know you got a seat. I know it's getting dark outside. But you're on the wrong bus, and staying on the wrong bus won't make it the right bus.

If you really want to get where you set out to go, you're going to have to get off the wrong bus'.

https://seths.blog/2018/08/the-wrong-bus/

This is about cutting our losses, even when the sunk costs (huge effort to wait, get on and find a seat) are large, when inertia is strong (because it's dark outside) and we fear the alternatives (standing outside and waiting, perhaps indefinitely, for another ride).

But we need to confront reality and take difficult decisions if we're to achieve our objectives.

There's a wider perspective

One of my favourite ways of thinking about people and teams at work also talks about buses, and comes from Jim Collins's Good to Great

https://www.jimcollins.com/article_topics/articles/good-to-great.html

‘DISCIPLINED PEOPLE: “WHO” BEFORE “WHAT”

You are a bus driver. The bus, your company, is at a standstill, and it’s your job to get it going. You have to decide where you're going, how you're going to get there, and who's going with you.

Most people assume that great bus drivers (read: business leaders) immediately start the journey by announcing to the people on the bus where they're going—by setting a new direction or by articulating a fresh corporate vision.

In fact, leaders of companies that go from good to great start not with “where” but with “who.” They start by getting the right people on the bus, the wrong people off the bus, and the right people in the right seats. And they stick with that discipline—first the people, then the direction—no matter how dire the circumstances'.

I love this concept. I talk about it all the time at work, and do all my hiring and team assessment with this in mind:

• Is someone great for the company and enthusiastic about their work, but not as effective in their role as they could be? →Right person, wrong seat on the bus. Let's find them a better role.

• Is someone a brilliant jerk, maybe technically or strategically excellent, but toxic to work with? Right seat on the bus, but wrong person to start with. I need to improve their approach or exit them.

• Is someone a great fit for a team, skills- and personality-wise? Right person and right seat - we have a winner…let's go!

Take a look at your life and workplace through this lens, and see what you find.