Business Lessons from a Scooter

Weird title, I know, but I’m compelled to share the interesting business “in my face” practical lessons I’m learning. I’ve injured my left foot, and the doctor insists that the only way for healing to take place is to not bare weight at all on the injured foot for the four-six weeks. Yikes!

To keep my spirits high during this time of recovery, I’ve decided to keep a close eye out for the lessons I’m supposed to be learning. The easiest thing to do is to be still and stay off my foot. If you know me, being still is not something that comes naturally. Anyway, in the forced stillness, I have plenty of time to think about the life/business correlations that come with navigating this dang scooter. Listed below are the top of mind lessons for today.

Overuse can cause injury.

In business it is easy to overwork, get overwhelmed, and overdo it. Know that overusing anything…your foot, your brain, your people, your time, etc. can cause injury.

Learning new things is possible even when it’s scary and hard.

I’ve heard people say, “You don’t know what you don’t know.” There is a lot of truth in that statement. When I see people use this knee scooter thing it looks like it would be easy to learn how to use it. Not so much! It seems like keeping one foot off the ground is a simple concept. It’s not. I’m working my way around the scary and hard stuff day by day.

A scooter is WAY better than crutches. A crutch can hurt a LOT.

So if you are 50+ years old and 50+ pounds overweight, the scooter is a better tool than crutches. I guess the real business lesson is that it is essential to use the right tool for the right job at the right time!

Balance is VERY important.

When you lose it (balance), you are going to fall! At Bowl Expo, I leaned too far over trying to help set up the booth. The second lesson here is you must let other people do what you cannot do – even if you think you can.

Balance on one leg requires a lot of strength and creativity.

I constantly have to think things through. How can I get the best leverage? What can I use to support the one leg as I move from here to there? Strength and creativity must be used in every situation.

Not turning soon enough can be a problem.

I have literally run into many walls. You can bet that happens in business. On the scooter, a quick turn can result in disaster. Not turning soon enough means you’ll have to back up and try again!

Be sure you are ready to sit down before you actually sit down.

Getting up requires a lot more effort.

Putting your foot down is far more natural then I once thought.

In concept, keeping one foot off the ground doesn’t seem like that big of a thing. In reality, it is MUCH more difficult than putting your foot down. Staying grounded on two feet provides far more stability. I can hardly wait to put my foot down.

Often times there is more than one way to do things.

I keep thinking things through a little better than normal. I tend to simply dive in and go straight to whatever I’m doing. With this scooter and the one-foot plan, I keep backing myself into a corner (literally). Everything and I mean everything, requires more thought…deep thought. Fortunately, as of this writing, I have successfully managed to get myself out of each sticky situation….so far.

You have to plan. It’s more important than ever.

Forgetting something means you have to go back and get what you forgot. Going backward on the scooter can be difficult.

The unexpected is around every corner.

I can’t even think of some of the complications before I face them. Each time something comes up, I file it away, and it becomes a lesson for next time.

Sometimes you have to back up even when going forward is easier.

Seems crazy but it is a very good business lesson for me. I never like to redo anything and starting over is difficult. However, a “back up” or a “restart” is the very best course of action.

Taking the long way around might be the best way.

I need a flat, smooth surface. Avoiding bumps, curves, and stairs are necessary and safer. If that means taking the long way around, then I welcome the smooth and flat way instead of hilly and bumpy.

What worked yesterday may not work at all today.

This lesson is extremely frustrating. It’s as if I forget how to maneuver from one day to the next. Fortunately, the big learning is that even when a new day demands a new way, I can usually figure it out.

It’s easier to take a step up than a step-down.

This one is a biggie! I have not figured out how to safely go down even a single step. And although going up a step is something I’ve managed, a steep step has caused a crash. (Yup, I fell flat out at the airport. I was unable to jump the curb). Ah, another lesson, look for the handicap ramp. All I needed to do was to walk several steps from where I was.

Everything requires a lot more time and energy than you imagined.

I knew this one about business, but the scooter has reminded me that preparation and planning take time. Plan well. Don’t hurry!

It’s important to have something steady to hang on to.

So I’ll give my husband kudos for this one. This is a lesson that has served me well in my lifetime!

Having wheels is kinda fun.

A friend of mine encouraged me to get a bicycle horn. It was definitely the thing to do. Everyone laughs every time as I stroll along and “honk, honk!” I also have a disco light ball attached to the handlebars. Fun is an important ingredient in business and in life (at least it is for me). I don’t want to do it if it’s not fun.

Dread is dumb.

Dreading what “might be” takes too much energy and you don’t know what you’ll face until you have to face it.

You can figure it out.

Figuring it out moment by moment has certainly been the task at hand. It’s interesting. I find myself imagining how to get here or there and then doing just that.

Taking a risk might work out just fine.

I couldn’t figure out how to get out of the house to go to a hair appointment. The garage door opener is lost, and I can’t quite navigate the stairs at our front door. So, I decided that I could move faster on the scooter than on foot. Since I have a history of hitting the garage door button and running underneath the door, out to the driveway, without being smashed, I figured it would be “easier/faster” on the scooter… Good news, I made it. I did roll down the driveway more quickly than I imagined. I’m not planning to do that again, but it makes me laugh every time I think about it. UPDATE: I have figured out how to give myself more runway by using the end of a broom to hit the button. We need to get a new garage door opener!

Smiling even when things are difficult makes it better.

Thank goodness we have a core value in our company that says we believe in having, promoting, and being fun. We go on to say what that looks like: We honor this fun value during the good times and the bad. Honestly, I’m a bit grumpy about this scooter thing. But grumpy doesn’t help. So I focus on how to make things better. A smile is a good start!

Laughing makes everything doable.

See the horn and the disco ball.

Asking for help looks different than it did before and you will need help with almost everything.

This might be the best lesson of all. I think we all get trapped into taking on more than we can handle. However, when you get in a situation like I’m in today with this injury, even the easy things, like getting in and out of the car, seem very difficult. For me, the business lesson is to start letting people help with the “easy” stuff. Even when you can figure things out whether easy or difficult; why should you? I’m learning that there are plenty of people who love to help. This is a big aha for me. I hope it helps you, too.