Recently I heard this story – true story – about a woman who was driving her Recreational Vehicle down a long highway. She was getting hungry and wanted to make herself a sandwich. Instead of pulling over to the side of the road and entering the well-stocked kitchen in the RV – she set the cruise control on the RV, got out of her seat and went back to make a sandwich!

Well you can well imagine what happened next! Luckily for her she was not killed nor did her mishap kill anyone else. However the RV left the road and hit the ditch. The RV was severely damaged and the woman was injured. However what amazed me most about this episode was that the woman at fault sued the company that manufactured the RV because the driver\'s manual did not tell her explicitly that she could not get out of her seat and that she must keep steering while using the cruise control!

Now you may think this incredibly stupid – however let’s look at this in another way. How many of us – in the course of running our business – have not read a manual, or learned and understood essentials we need to – to ensure we keep our businesses on the right track? (or vehicle on the road) And how many of us will hit the ditch because we did not completely understand an essential part of building a successful business?

I know a woman who found herself in total ruin because she did not understand tax law, nor did she hire an accountant to assist her. She wound up owing thousands of dollars – essentially running her business into the ditch, only because she did not have a good understanding of the rules as she read them.

We all know that running a business – well is a big and busy job. But the minute you set your business on cruise control and hope that everything will take care of itself, is the minute that you lose focus on where you are going and give up the ability to take corrective action when it appears you are leaving the road!

It is important to make sure that as much of your business as possible is set up so that it runs itself – that you have systems in place and you do not have to micromanage. But your business still needs a driver – or a manager. And if you are the driver – if you need a break you need someone to be able to step in and take the wheel. Yes, your business can run on cruise control – but you need someone to steer.

Are you in the driver’s seat? Do you have a plan? Do you know where you are going, have a route planned – a time frame in mind – and a plan so that you can take time off now and then? If you do not, you are risking setting the cruise control and getting out of the driver’s seat. All of these piece parts are what makes a good business that can not only support you, but move forward. Take a moment to think about where you are going – and how you will get there. For goodness sake do not take your hand from the wheel!

"One of the keys to effective communication and dispute resolution is understanding ourselves and how we think and also understanding how others are wired as well. Each of us has personality styles that are unique to ourselves - however there are also patterns as well. When you understand the differing personality styles and their blends - you begin to see people as they are with more understanding! For more information on understanding personality styles please contact Mandie at president@roaringwomen.com."

If you need assistance getting your business back on track – or ensuring you have a good understanding of what it is you need to do to get it there – Book an appointmentwith the coach of your choice!

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Author's Bio: 

Mandie Crawford is a marketing expert, business coach, trainer and motivational speaker who was recently awarded Calgary Business Woman of the Year for her contributions to the business community.

Mandie also has skills and expertise in providing high quality guidance in time management and system implementation for small a medium sized businesses. Her passion as a business and professional development coach is to helps women recognize their value and self worth.

She is the President of Roaring Women Ltd which is Canada’s premier national business support group for women in business that focuses on connecting, promoting and educating women in business. In her goal to encourage and educate women in building business across the country, she launched and completed a 6 week coaching tour in partnership with Staple Business Depot in 2008 where she coached over 600 women in business.

Mandie is mother to four children and 3 stepchildren and one highly energetic chocolate lab! Ms Crawford is also a former award winning police officer with Halton Regional Police.