Lessons Learned in a Big, Brown Wagon

No. It wasn't quite as bad as the Griswold's "Family Truckster", but it was a big, brown, family station wagon nonetheless. Yes. Back in 1989, I was a senior at Concordia Lutheran High School. While many students were driving some sweet rides, I had to roll in the ever-so-cool brown wagon.

One night, I was hustling to get to a school dance while driving the big machine. As I approached an intersection with two lanes of traffic going straight and one left turn lane, I noticed that the lights were red for the traffic going straight, but the green arrow for the left turn lane was lit. I pressed down on the gas hoping I could make it before the green arrow changed to red. Unfortunately, the car in the lane in front of me stopped prematurely by about a car length which did not allow me enough room to get into the turn lane. By the time I realized this, it was too late for me to get the big, brown family station wagon to a complete halt prior to smashing into the back of the car in front of me. Without hesitation, I jerked the steering wheel to the left to avoid hitting the stopped vehicle in my path. To my surprise, the front left wheel hit the center median and popped up onto it. Then the back left tire followed suit. Both tires then came down on the other side so that I was now straddling the median with my big, brown wagon! Fast approaching was a sign in the middle of the median, so I quickly jerked the steering wheel back to the right. First, the front driver's side tire popped back up onto the median followed rapidly by the rear driver's side tire. Both tires then pounded back down onto the road, and I was fully in the left turn lane. The green arrow remained lit, so I just drove on through and made my way to the dance! Needless to say, my heart was racing and my knees were knocking. It was definitely not the route I intended to take, but I made it to the dance all the same. Once at the dance, I celebrated God's protection and my safety among friends.

So, what are the lessons learned from this comical, true-life event from my senior year of high school? While there certainly are many life lessons to be learned from my eager-to-get-to-the-dance driving skills, I wanted to focus on some lessons that I believe are relevant to my role as director of major gifts at the Parkview Foundations.

In the everyday hustle to achieve and to respond to the urgencies of the moment, sometimes we lose sight of what is really important. Sometimes we get caught up in all the weeds when we should be focused on the beauty of the flowers above. Here are a few things of which we should remind ourselves daily:

1) Know where you're going (VISION). We must always remain focused on the overall vision of our organization as well as our individual vision of how we can assist our organization in fulfilling the mission. My vision back in 1989 was to get to the dance safely. For a brief moment, I let the urgency of trying to make the light in order to arrive at the dance a few minutes sooner cloud my vision. This almost ended in a serious accident.

2) Know how to get there (STRATEGIC PLAN). It takes time to plan out how to make our vision a reality. We certainly won't reach our intended destination without first having a specific plan on how to get there. In my role as a director of major gifts, this means having a cultivation plan for every donor in my portfolio, it means having a qualification process in place for each individual prospect, it means having a strategic process for soliciting the right gift at the right time from the right person, and it means specifically planning times to thank and steward those who invest in the organization. When I was on the way to my high school dance, I didn't have a specific plan on the best route to the school. I let the green light dictate which path to follow. I could have just as easily waited and gone straight when the light turned green instead of rushing to make the green arrow.

3) Know how to measure success along the way (GOALS & METRICS). Once a plan has been established, it is important to create specific, measurable goals and put the proper tools in place to assure that these goals are attained. On my bumpy ride to the dance, I forgot the general goals of driving which should always include being safe and watching other cars. When I pressed on the gas to speed toward the green arrow, my goal was to make the light at all costs. To remain safe, my goal should have been to slow down, assess the traffic, and be prepared to stop. Instead, I sped up and almost brought harm and damage to both the person in front of me and their car as well as to myself and the big, brown wagon.

4) Know what to do when things don't go as planned (ADAPTABILITY). While it is important to have a plan and goals to achieve that plan, there may be times when special circumstances or changes in people's lives call for adapting to new situations. Change is inevitable, and even the best of plans can sometimes go awry. We must not allow these changes or difficulties to prevent us from achieving our mission. Those of us who have contingency plans and/or prepare for various scenarios will find more success. It was out of instinct and probably dumb luck that I ended up straddling that median with my big, brown wagon back in 1989, but I did adapt to my new situation. I had to think and respond quickly in order to avoid an accident and stay on the road. The more adaptable we can prepare to be, the better off we will end up in achieving our goals.

5) Know when and what to celebrate (CELEBRATION). Having goals and proper metrics in place helps us to know when we have achieved various levels of success. It is important to set benchmarks and even provide incentives for reaching particular goals on the way to the final destination. Be sure to truly celebrate the people whose efforts allowed for the success and share these moments together as a team. It feels good to have others celebrate with you and everyone likes to be recognized for a job well done. When I finally arrived at the school dance, it felt good to have my friends show care for me and to celebrate with me in arriving safely after a harrowing experience. Know when to let loose and just dance!