Posted: Sep 02, 2010
I've come to realize that managing or leading a business is a lot like flying an airplane.

It was my 5th or 6th flight lesson on a breezy day when I learned first-hand what can happen if you have a death grip on your flight controls. As I cruised down the runway everything seemed great and as I lifted off, all was normal. About 100 feet off the ground though the plane started to toss and turn from the windy conditions. I immediately tensed up and tried to correct for every single toss and turn to keep the plane flying level. Big mistake! The right thing to do is easy up on the controls and allow the plane to do it's job and fly.

When you are flying a plane, just like when you are running a business, there is a tendancy to overeact or correct which just makes things worse. What I needed to do was let the plane fly itself for a few seconds and suddenly the bumps and bounces began to smooth out. Not because it was less windy, but my reactions to the situation were making it worse. Have you ever worked with a manager or business leader who did the same thing?

Recently I've seen some business leaders and managers make the mistake of over managing. Their actions out of panic or a desire to control or react to every bump were detrimental to their business. Just like flying, you have to keep your eyes on the big picture and not react with a death grip to the bumps along with way. Things have a way of smoothing out if you just stay with the fundamentals and don't get sucked into reacting to the little bumps.