Habits & Power : What to do with them

While I drove a small car for 15 years, on highways I was used to driving behind other larger vehicles like Trucks or Buses. I never thought about overtaking them as I felt safer in their shadows and eventually it became the way I drove.

Few months ago, I bought a new SUV. It was bigger and more powerful than my old car. I was excited to take it on a long drive and took it from Lucknow to Pune. I quickly realized that I could now overtake other vehicles easily. But then I noticed something strange. My brain was still used to driving behind other larger vehicles. I had to consciously remind myself that I could now overtake them. It took me a few hours to get used to driving my new SUV. But eventually, I broke my old habit. I started driving more confidently and safely. Not only did I gained confidence in over taking I also started to offering shelter to smaller cars on the highway which needed a safe passage.

This experience taught me three valuable lesson which I wanted to share with everyone I know.

• Habits are powerful things. They can shape our behavior without us even realizing it.

• We are not slaves to our habits, and we can change them if we are willing to put in the effort.

• Once we have the authority, its upto us how do you make use of it. We can misuse it or we can be empathetic and help others.

As a Founder & an Entrepreneur I relate to these lessons very much as very frequently I get into situations where I have to work with people while making tough decisions.

When we have the authority, we also have to remember that while being empathetic we should not promote selflessness amongst the team.

Its a tight rope and all leaders have to tread it.