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3 Things Successful Business Leaders Learn From Detours

Written by: Sylvia Lafair

Article Overview: Interesting things can happen when you take a detour-read on to explore how little detours in the road can lead to new ideas and even new business.

3 Things Successful Business Leaders Learn From Detours

The other day I was conducting a meeting at a client's office. I had been there tons of times and driving there was a no-brainer; until I saw that big red arrow that shouted out "DETOUR". Needless to say, I was annoyed, alright, pissed. I knew I would be late, but more than that, often detours on country roads take way too long to get back on track. Anyway, there was no choice. Don't let anyone tell you there are choices with everything. Not true. Oh yeah - I could have sat and sulked. I could have turned around and gone back to my own office; made the trek another day. No, they were not real options. So, I said to myself, "Guess I'll choose the detour".

Here is what was interesting. I knew I'd be late, so I called and set the time for an hour or so later. No big deal. My client is a relaxed guy who takes life's detours with great finesse.

I called my office and since I hate to waste time, I asked them to schedule a coaching call with a client I couldn't talk with till the following week. Then I turned on the radio and instead of the news I would usually listen to, I picked out a music station. Now, I was really getting into the metaphor of "detour" as in "you need to go down unfamiliar paths." So, in spite of my ambivalence about country music, that's what I spent the next quarter of an hour listening to.

Hey, did you ever hear what happens when you play a country song backwards? The guy gets back his truck, his job and his gal. I know that's old, old, old, but the disc jockey put it into the context of what he was playing and it gave me a quick laugh break.

Then the magic happened. I passed a great looking brand new building with lots of cars in front. The name of the company, all shiny on the new sign announced it was just the kind of business we loved to consult with. No time to stop, however, I took the name down, called my office and asked them to get some research about the firm.

Turns out it is a family business that's four generations on the planet and after a few phone calls from my staff, they are in the midst of succession planning and would love to discuss our model of working with family firms.

So, the detour wasn't. It WAS an opportunity to talk with a coaching client who said "how the heck did you know I needed to talk to you today?' (I didn't, it just happened to fit into the open time). I got a new client by taking a winding road that had appeared to be an inconvenience, and by the time I got to my client, he said, "Hey, you're just in time for lunch and there's a new gourmet place that just opened, so let's go."

Boy was that a winning day. Now I find myself hoping for detours, although they'll be there when they'll be there. Hopefully they won't mess me up when I have to make a plane connection.

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Article Tags: Detours In Life



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