A friend of mine recently told me of an experience he had while taking racing lessons (he loves Corvettes). The instructor had him pull over to the side of the track and asked if he had a rag in the trunk of the car. My friend went and got it – wondering what the instructor was about to do. He didn’t need to wait long.
The instructor took the rag and wrapped it around the rear view mirror – rendering it useless to my friend.
“Why are you looking behind you where you’ve already been?” the instructor asked. “Do you think you can by the sheer force of your will cause those cones you knocked over to right themselves again? What’s done is done. Now focus on what’s ahead.”
Over the next few laps my friend noticed how often he would look up to see what was happening in the rear view mirror. Each time he did he also noticed his foot releasing pressure on the accelerator – slowing the car.
Of course a leader knows that s/he must look back to celebrate the past (see the poster Standing In Line for more on this subject). However, this poster reminds the leader not to look back to feed regrets about what might have been. Those regrets are much like pouring sand in a car’s gas tank. Sluggish performance is bound to occur.
Categories: Concentration
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