Changing lanes

Getting off the tollway this afternoon I had one of those "what are you doing?!" moments as a driver in the adjoining lane of a two lane exit cut me off, without a signal and with one of those casual, unaware floating lane changes. Luckily I had an eye on her and was able to brake and avoid any contact. I did, however, lay on the horn!

I wish I could say it ended there, but less than a mile up the road, she did almost exactly the same thing again, forcing her way into the very small space between my car and the one in front of me. I don't know what she was doing, but she sure wasn't focused on her driving and what was going on around her!!

It's seems to me that one of the requirements of leadership is to stay awake enough that we don't change our lanes like this driver did. Leadership requires a better awareness of what's going on around us, who else and what else is in our sphere of influence, and how we interact within that sphere. Granted, we can't always be aware of everything, but if a horn blows, take notice and do your best not to repeat the same mistake again. Presumptive or distracted actions will frustrate our environment more than help it. And if we do arrive at our destination, we don't want to be surrounded by ticked off drivers!

Leaders need to change lanes; just do it with conscious awareness whenever possible.