Hey all you high volume, frequent flying, business travelers! You might want to hear this story about the ability to apply some strategic thinking principles in everyday scenarios.

I had an interesting conversation last night with an acquaintance who works in the Salt Lake City Airport as a baggage handler. I was telling him that I travel enough and I have strategically figured out when I need to leave my office or home in order to be able to get the airport and catch a flight and that I usually push it to the last minute. I am sure many of you out there have a similar approach.

It’s that time of the year again. August, September, and October is the prime hurricane season in the Atlantic. Decade after decade, season after season, the tropical storms escalate into devastating hurricanes. The island of Bermuda in particular has had a long history of bad luck with hurricanes. From the Havana Bermuda hurricane of 1926 to Hurricane Emily of 1987, Bermuda has been a regular target of nature’s wrath.

I read that when Thomas Edison was creating the light bulb he actually found over 1800 ways to not build one. I also have read that the discovery of radium was a mistake by Madam Curie. So I guess it begs the question, are we seeking out strategic opportunities from our mistakes or from things that go awry? I don’t particularly enjoy scrutinizing my mistakes and failures. I guess I don’t like revisiting what goes wrong because I feel guilty or that I am punishing myself. But deep down I know that there is a lot that can be learned from our mistakes and failures and often it is a signal that there is a strategic opportunity looming on the horizon. I wonder how many strategic targets I may have missed when I have just moved on from a mistake without carefully scrutinizing what could have been learned, trying a new approach, or recreating how things are done.

Have you ever felt significantly ahead of your competition? Maybe you were headed in the right direction and thought nothing could stop you. Perhaps you were so focused on the success and control you were enjoying, only to be crushed by the competition unexpectedly.

The Example

A great and inspiring story emerged from the world of sports yesterday. Former Major League Pitcher Rick Ankiel made his major league debut with his old team, the St. Louis Cardinals, as an outfielder. In 1998, Ankiel signed with the Cardinals right out of High School and was promptly rewarded with a 2.5 million dollar signing bonus. Ankiel was named Minor League Baseball Player of the Year in 1999 and some scouts considered him one of the greatest pitching prospects ever. He finished second in the voting for National League Rookie of the Year. Ankiel pitched for the Cardinals from 1999 to 2001. He was second in the league in strike outs per nine innings and hits allowed per nine innings.

Overwhelmed
As I drove to the office last month, I remember thinking about the long list of items on my to-do list for that day. I have to admit, I felt a little overwhelmed. Time management had never been an issue for me, but it didn’t seem like that was enough. I was meticulously planning out my days, keeping to the plan, but still not accomplishing everything before the end of business hours. With my upcoming events, product launches, and the needs of my clients, overwhelmed seems to be an understatement as I wondered if this is the cause of road rage.