Rental Cars
Here are this week's thoughts on rental cars.
I had a series of meetings this week that required me to catch a flight and rent a car. I rented a standard car, but when I arrived at the Enterprise desk they asked if I’d be willing to take an upgrade because they were out of standard cars. The upgrade they provided was a Mercedes SUV, and I’d be lying if I didn’t say that I was happy about it. Once I jumped in the SUV my lack of comfort kicked in. I could never figure out how to get Bluetooth maps or Apple Car Play connected (I’m sure it was a setting I didn’t know how to change), so I had to rely on the map on my phone. I didn’t have a mount for the phone, so I either had to hold it or keep in a cup holder. Neither of these solutions were ideal for driving in an area I’ve never spent much time in. Additionally, the controls were completely different than any of my vehicles. The auto dimming brights were on and it took me a while to turn them off. There were a lot of other adjustments to be made that required a learning curve. Also, navigating the lanes, exits, one ways streets, and speed limits were different that I was used to. It was a series of changes that made me uncomfortable, and it became the subject of this week’s thoughts.
My rental car experience was exactly what all of us go through when we experience change. I could have avoided the lack of comfort caused by change by staying home and not taking the meetings. However, if I hadn’t chosen to be uncomfortable, I would have missed the meetings that have now resulted in new market opportunities for the farmers we serve. We enact change to get better and that change is usually accompanied by difficulty. When we avoid change for improvement, we are choosing our own comfort over future opportunity for ourselves and others.
The second issue is that change sometimes comes with more change than you were expecting. Improving yourself or your business may be accompanied by other people or companies becoming a smaller part of your life. That may be their choice or yours. Sometimes, what you value or where you’re heading may not align any longer. Some examples may include us no longer offering a product offered by a salesperson you personally liked. Putting the company and the customer in a better position may result in less of the interactions you enjoyed with that representative. Another example may be that you aren’t included in a group any longer. That doesn't mean there’s anger or that it’s personal, but that what you’re focusing on doesn’t fit any longer. These aren’t fun issues to discuss, but if the changes you are making are important, new salespeople and groups that want to be a part of your future will come.