Have you reached your V1 position today?
I was at an airport last week, and as I waited for the plane to accelerate down the runway, I knew that at a specific point, the pilots would reach their V1 position: the point at which they commit to take off. It’s too late to back down and stop or abort at that stage,and so the journey begins as the plane leaves the ground, heading off towards its destination.
It then dawned on me that the V1 position is a great metaphor for life, both professionally and personally especially when it is set against a backdrop of my favourite 3D - Debate, Decide, Deliver - approach to life. The V1 position is a great example of how the second D - Decide - moves seamlessly to the third - Delivery - stage and in doing so it forces you to take that leap from the decision you’ve made to actually carrying it out.
Of course all the pre checks have been done, and relative to that, there is clarity about the destination. And so the journey begins, whatever it might be. It could be at the point where the project goes live, the new business or new job starts, the day you are on the starting line for that marathon you’ve been planning and you can’t turn back now, or you are about to push the “book now” button on that round the world trip you’ve always talked about but never got round to. It’s exciting, and for some, it’s just plain scary, but it has to be done as you know you, deep down, that you will be a better person for the experience.
But…
How often do we get to the decision stage, only to have our very own Pi (the problem is…) person inside our head telling us just before the V1 to stop, filling our heads with self doubt, worry, negativity and or unnecessary distractions. And even worse, those pesky Pi people may not only be in your head, but they could be those in your social or work circles, family and even friends. If this is the case, you need to seriously consider asking them to disembark because for as long as they are on that plane, it’s not going anywhere. What we really need is for all the passengers to be energised to get to the destination, and the flight team need to be just that - a team.
So when the seatbelt sign goes on, and it gets a little bumpy, you know you have all the right people around you to ride through the turbulence and get to the destination safely and calmly. There is something very powerful about surrounding yourself with similar, and positive people. With that feeling in the air, you’ll find you can achieve anything.
So, perhaps it’s time to force that move from the “Decision” stage to the V1 - “Delivery” - stage.
Yes, it’s very much is a 3d thing.