Driving decisions

Hello High Heelers

You know, my mom stopped her car on my foot once. Really, she did! Why I’m thinking about that in this precise moment is something of a mystery. But now you know. It’s something of a miracle that I don’t have one abnormally flat left foot. Thank goodness – as it wouldn’t look very hot in a high heel!

The human body is a remarkable model. Though mine looks less model-like than it should at the moment! Us High Heelers are hugely resilient. That day my mom was driving me home after school sports and we happened to drive past a schoolmate of mine who had left something-or-other in the classroom. Being the helpful yet impatient person that I am, I squealed for my mom to stop immediately so I could hand the item back to my schoolmate. And before my mom had come to a complete standstill I had opened the door and stepped out the car (with a great amount of momentum). When the heavy blue station wagon came to its final resting position, my left foot was neatly tucked under its tyre. And I was going nowhere slowly.

Funnily enough I don’t remember it being painful at all. Though for effect I continued to yelp and cry out brat-ish phrases like “This is child abuse!” How my mom managed to calmly assess the situation without losing her temper at my dramatics is pretty impressive. What’s not impressive is the fact that she got out the car seven times to inspect my mangled foot and decide which way to veer to release me. Seven times! Not once. Seven! My mom is a kind-hearted and loving person, so her indecisiveness had nothing to do with prolonging my pain and everything to do with the fact that she didn’t know which way to drive to release me.

She eventually made a decision and I was freed, my schoolmate had vanished and my mom was left feeling like the worst parent on earth. I think I was even treated with ice cream for dinner that night (though that detail could be truer in my imagination than it was in reality).

High Heelers no matter how good your intentions may be, sometimes when you overthink things you prolong your pain and hinder your progress. Sometimes you just need to be brave, make an educated decision and drive forwards. If the results aren’t perfect then fix what you’re left with, but by staying stationery you defy the law of nature that states that life goes on no matter what (well, until it ends in all its finality).

You know Natalie Maroun is excellent at being decisive. I learn from her constantly. She makes a decision. She goes with it and she doesn’t back out. If something goes wrong. She deals with it, takes accountability and fixes it. Simple. Many (I’d say the majority actually) of the managers I’ve worked with agonise over making decisions and as a result we’ve often lost out on opportunities or lost precious time, which has minimised the impact of our work.

This week High Heelers let’s be decisive and keep our momentum rolling. Let’s be accountable for the decisions we make and be quick-thinking and flexible. Let’s be the best models we can be. Let’s drive forward with direction in our highest heels!

Cheers,
Jo