Driving Change: We don't just drive the route. We drive the traffic.
It had been an interesting and intense three days.
Sixty of us, strangers, had just spent that time rotating through small groups working on a series of brain-teaser assignments. The challenges tested our logic, structure, insights, problem-solving, and collaboration skills.
By the end of it, we were worn down.
The Trip
On day four, things took a turn.
Without explanation, we were split into three teams of about twenty people each and given the following:
A thick instruction manual detailing everything we needed to solve a complex business problem.
An important detail: There was one “best” answer, some acceptable ones, and many that would not work.
Incentives! A cash prize for the team with the best solution. A personal achievement award granted only to members of the best performing teams (and rarely handed out). A formal letter of recognition.
Three workstations, side by side in a large auditorium, each stocked with flip charts and materials.
One full day and the following morning to solve the challenge.
A deadline: Noon on day five. Report outs begin.
That was it. No questions. Just: “Go.”
Inside the Teams
As we got started, we found the instruction manual included a problem-solving schematic, suggestions for organizing the information, and some outcomes to work toward. We had a map.
Team #1 looked like they were having a blast. Laughing. Goofing around. They left early and headed to the bar.
Team #3 looked like they were winning. They broke into subgroups, each working a piece of the puzzle. Flip chart pages were flying, getting filled with solutions.
Team #2 My team landed somewhere in between. More somber and focused than Team #1, but clearly behind Team #3 in output. Still, I felt good about the progress we were making and how we were making it. We respectfully challenged each other and pushed for clarity and results. We accepted assignments, made offers to help, and stayed long after the other teams called it a day.
Day Five: Report-Out Day
Team #1 didn’t come close to solving any part of the problem. They were good sports, but visibly disappointed. They felt sure they’d crafted a novel solution that would lead to great results.
Team #3 fell short as well. They presented logical analysis and solutions. However, they missed critical connections required in any of the solution sets.
Team #2 We solved it. Sort of. We landed in the “acceptable solution set range.” In the debrief we learned what we missed and could’ve solved. And that was sobering.
The Debrief
We learned that those first three intense days, were designed to reveal our intellectual tendencies and behavioral styles. In other words, how we work, think, and approach problems. And the teams were created based on those results.
Team #1: high social needs, expressive, friendly
Team #2 (my group): a blended team, with members who have high-achievement motives.
Team #3: linear thinkers, detail-oriented, task-focused, analytical- singularly focused.
Then the real ah-ha moment:
We could have used the whole room.
No one ever said we had to stay in our teams.
The skills for more completely solving the problem existed in that room.
We were stuck in traffic… but never thought to get out of our own cars.
Takeaways
It’s been years since that trip, but the lessons stuck.
We had a map.
We had a route.
What we didn’t know was that we were also driving the traffic.
Here’s what I mean:
Let’s say you’re going on a road trip. You get a map. You plan your route. That’s part of it. But here’s the thing you don’t only drive the roads. You drive the traffic.
That exercise wasn’t just about problem-solving. It was about behavior. It showed us how we process, how we interact, and how we default to certain roles or habits, especially under pressure.
What none of us realized at the time was that the biggest variable in the room wasn’t the problem.
It was us. Our dynamics. Our assumptions. Our team boundaries.
We followed the map, but we didn’t manage the flow.
We stuck to our lanes when we could have looked for other ways through.
Whatever we’re facing – negotiation, change, pressure – a map and a planned route only take us so far. What matters is how we move through the mess, together.
We’re not just following a path.
We’re driving the traffic.