Vol. 10, No. 1 Spring 2011 FLORIDA ASPHALT 17

Dealing with Uncertainty in the Industry in Order to Reach your Destination in 2011

UncertaintyBy Dana Borowka, MA of Lighthouse Consulting Services, LLC

ASPHALT 17

Driving up the coast towards Malibu, Calif., the morn-ing sun was rising and I noticed a fog bank several miles off the coast. It was

interesting to see from this perspective. The wall of fog stood before the magnificent coast line with many miles of visibility in both direc-tions. As the sun continued to rise, the top of the fog bank whisking around made for a beautiful scene.

As I headed up into the mountains, I kept looking back to see how it was progressing. As I ascended in elevation, I could see the fog was covering the ocean as far as the eye could see. It was progressing towards the shore and in just a matter of a few minutes what had been clear visibility along the coast was now completely obscured.

Have you ever had this experience in either your business or personal life? You have a course, a plan, a direction and then — the fog rolls in. What do you do? I’d like to share an experience. Then we’ll jump into some specifi c steps that you can consider and talk over with your team members as we move into the new year.

I’m an avid sailor, and that usually leads to getting bigger boats over time. We traveled to San Diego, Calif. to purchase our next boat, which was 28 feet in length. We needed to get the boat to Marina del Rey, Calif., which is an 100+ mile journey. We planned on bring-ing it up over a two-day period. Our plans included having all the appropriate tools — a

navigational chart, GPS, fog horn and radar defl ector mounted on the mast, but we had no radar.

When we woke up in the early morning hours to set sail on our journey we could barely see the boat next to us — the fog was so thick that visibility was only 15-20 feet at best. We waited a bit for the fog to clear, but we had a schedule to keep. With charts and GPS in hand we set out and made our way through the harbor very carefully. Our charting was spot on, and we had a spotter/listener on the bow to make sure we didn’t miss anything. Things were going well until we heard the sound of waves crashing. We were off course, but fortunately we had our spotter on the bow. We adjusted our course immediately and made it out to sea. Th e fog cleared, and we had porpoises swimming all around us with clear sailing and visibility. On the fi nal leg home, we hit fog again. Th is time we made it to the breakwater, which appeared right in front of us by only 100 feet or so. It was just where we thought it would be thanks to our planning.

As we enter 2011, uncertainty seems to be a constant theme. Yet if we have a plan and remain fl exible with our goals then we can make it through the fog and reach our destina-tion safe and sound. By using the ideas we are about to share you’ll know if your organization is heading towards the rocks, the open sea or on a clear course towards your destination.

Think for a moment about the various components of a boat that are needed in order to keep it afl oat and heading in the intended

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Stanbrook Abbey is comfortably set beneath the gorgeous green ridge of the Malvern Hills in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, just minutes from the M5.Callow Great Hall, the former chapel, has been preserved in all its splendour, with ornate stonework, vibrant stained glass, exquisite wood carving and high vaulted ceiling, providing the most inspirational space imaginable. The recent refurbishment has created a variety of different reception rooms to provide a venue that’s as flexible as it is impressive.

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Christmas Lunches in the Abbey 25th December 2012

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Luxury Festive Accommodation Enjoy a stay in the beautiful Manor at Stanbrook Abbey, available for exclusive use hire this Christmas. This extensive five bedroom, Georgian manor house boasts luxury accommodation in the master suite with dressing room and a further four en-suite bedrooms. Relax throughout your stay with your own private drawing room, study and kitchen, ideal for throwing a Christmas house party.

A Tasting of Christmas Private DiningFor those wanting a more exclusive atmosphere, we have a variety of exquisite private dining rooms available for up to 20 guests. Organise your own festivities, or let us help.

For enquiries and bookings, contact 01905 830 195 | stanbrookabbey.com | info@stanbrookabbey.com

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