THE LAW OF NAVIGATION

PAULA MENESES

Anyone can steer the ship, but it takes a leader to chart the course. After reading the book of John Maxwell, I have realize this law of navigation is really what I am not well trained. I realized that it is so vital for leaders that they are expert of this field.

The larger the organization, the more clearly the leader has to be able to see ahead. That’s true because sheer size makes midcourse corrections more difficult. And if there are errors, many more people are affected than when you’re traveling alone or with only a few people. The disaster shown in the recent film titanic was a good example of that kind of problem. The crew could not see far enough ahead to avoid the iceberg altogether, and they could not maneuver enough to change course once it was spotted because of the size of the ship, the largest built at that time. The result was that it cost more than one thousand people their lives.

Navigators draw on past experience

Every past success and failure can be a source of information and wisdom— if you allow it to be. Successes teach you about yourself and what you’re capable of doing with your particular gifts and talents. Failures show what kinds of wrong assumptions you’ve made and where your methods are flawed. If you fail to learn from your mistakes, you’re going to fail again and again. That’s why effective navigators start with experience. But they certainly don’t end there.

Navigators listen to what others have to say

No matter how much you learn from the past, it will never tell you all you need to know for the present. That’s why top-notch navigators gather information from many sources. They get ideas from members of their leadership team. They talk to the people in their organization to find out what’s happening on the grassroots level. And they spend time with leaders from outside the organization who can mentor them.

Navigators examine the conditions before making commitments

“I like action, and my personality prompts me to be spontaneous. On top of that, I have reliable intuition when it comes to leadership. But I’m also conscious of my responsibilities as a leader. So before I make commitments that are going to impact my people, I take stock and thoroughly think things through. Good navigators count the cost before making commitments for themselves and others.”- j. Maxwell

Navigators make sure their conclusions represent both faith and fact

Being able to navigate for others requires a leader to possess a positive attitude. You’ve got to have faith that you can take your people all the way. If you can’t confidently make the trip in your mind, you’re not going to be able to take it in real life. On the other hand, you also have to be able to see the facts realistically. You can’t minimize obstacles or rationalize your challenges. If you don’t go in with your eyes wide open, you’re going to get blindsided. As Bill Easum observes, “realistic leaders are objective enough to minimize illusions. They understand that self-deception can cost them their vision.” Sometimes it’s difficult balancing optimism and realism, intuition and planning, faith and fact. But that’s what it takes to be effective as a navigating leader.

Charting the course with a navigation strategy

At that time I developed a strategy that i have used repeatedly in my leadership. I wrote it as an acrostic so that i would always be able to remember it:

Predetermine a course of action.

Lay out your goals.

Adjust your priorities.

Notify key personnel.

Allow time for acceptance.

Head into action.

Expect problems.

Always point to the successes.

Daily review your planning.

That became my blueprint as i prepared to navigate for my people.

— oOo—

The author is Volunteer Youth Coordinator at Masantol High School