What Could We Learn from Drivers?

In the middle of the journey of our life I found myself within a dark wood where the straight way was lost.

— Dante Alighieri, Inferno

It started innocently enough. I was just trying to get to a meeting across town. Waze said 17 minutes. But Waze didn’t factor in the guy who decided to reverse into an intersection because he missed a turn. Or the woman in the roundabout who stopped to let pigeons cross (noble, but not strategic). Or the spontaneous traffic jam caused by one driver attempting a too-perfect parallel park.

By the time I arrived (25 minutes late), I had this thought: what if driving is actually a crash course in management?

Think about it. Every commute is filled with micro-decisions: when to yield, when to overtake, how to handle road rage (yours and others’), how to reroute when your path is blocked. It's all there: strategy, leadership, crisis management, communication, patience, ego, and letting go.

So this week, instead of another case study or management model, I offer you ten lessons from the road, and what they reveal about the art of management.

1.  The Green Light Isn’t Always Safe

You’re at an intersection. The light turns green. You press the gas… but suddenly, a motorcycle whizzes past, running the red light.

The Lesson: Just because it’s your “turn” doesn’t mean it’s safe to proceed. In management, the official green light (a signed-off project, a formal promotion, a secured budget) doesn’t guarantee smooth sailing. Always double-check for unseen risks. That last-minute competitor move? The disgruntled team member? They’re the metaphorical motorbike that could wreck your momentum.

Caution is not hesitation. It’s strategic awareness.

2. Roundabouts Are for the Flexible

In Paris or Tel Aviv, a roundabout is a dance of chaos. No one fully stops, no one fully knows who’s next, but somehow… it works.

The Lesson: Roundabouts reward adaptability. Unlike stoplights, they don’t tell you what to do. They force you to observe, anticipate, and merge. In dynamic markets or innovative fields, waiting for clear directions can be a disadvantage. You need leaders who can read the traffic, not just follow signs.

Strategy isn’t about rules. It’s about rhythm.

 3. The Slow Driver in the Fast Lane

You know the one. 60 km/h in a 100 zone, and no intention of moving over. Frustrating? Yes. But it’s also a reminder.

The Lesson: A single slow process (approval bottlenecks, outdated policies, or a risk-averse department) can slow down an entire organization. Not everyone needs to be a speedster, but you do need alignment. Speed doesn’t matter if the whole company is stuck behind the metaphorical Mazda.

Don’t just accelerate. Unblock the road.

4. The Driver Who Never Uses a GPS

They say things like “I know a shortcut,” or “Trust me, I’ve done this before.” Forty-five minutes and three wrong turns later, you end up in a field.

The Lesson: Experience is valuable, but so is data. The “we’ve always done it this way” mindset can blind you to better paths. Smart leaders use both intuition and tools: strategy maps, dashboards, market analysis… like a good GPS.

Past success is not a compass. It’s just a memory.

5. Merging Lanes with Eye Contact

Ever notice how, in heavy traffic, it’s not the rules that matter, it’s eye contact? You inch forward, they slow down, you nod… and merge.

The Lesson: Organizational change is rarely about who has the right-of-way. It’s about human connection. Transparency, empathy, and acknowledgment smooth transitions far better than formal authority.

Sometimes, leadership is a glance that says, “I see you.”

6. The Brake-Check Panic

A car suddenly brakes in front of you. You slam the brakes. Adrenaline spikes. Heart races. For a few seconds, everything else disappears.

The Lesson: This is crisis mode. And the best drivers (and managers) don’t overreact. They breathe, steer smoothly, and regain control. Your job in a crisis isn’t to panic louder than everyone else. It’s to stabilize.

In chaos, calm is a competitive advantage.

7. The Weekend Driver with Nowhere to Go

You’ve seen them. Weekend afternoon, cruising slowly, windows down, not a care in the world. The road’s clear, the weather’s perfect, but they’re not going anywhere in particular. You flash your lights. Honk, maybe. Nothing changes. They're enjoying the ride. But you're late. And now you're stuck behind someone who forgot the whole point of driving is to get somewhere.

The Lesson: Organizations, too, can fall into this trap. They move steadily, hold meetings, publish reports, celebrate “being in motion”… but no one really knows where it's all headed. When teams forget the bigger “why,” they start managing activity instead of purpose.

It’s not enough to drive well; you need to know where you’re going.

8. Jeep or Lamborghini? Choose Your Vehicle Wisely

You just finished a big supermarket haul. Your car is stuffed with bags, two kids, and a watermelon rolling loose. That’s when you realize: this is not Lamborghini-friendly terrain. Conversely, there you are stuck in bumper-to-bumper city traffic… behind the wheel of a fully-equipped Jeep Gladiator, burning fuel and turning heads, but going nowhere.

The Lesson: Strategy isn’t just about goals. It’s about matching your tools to the terrain. Flashy solutions might look good in presentations, but real value comes from fit-for-purpose execution.

You don’t need a racecar. You need the right car for the road you’re on.

9. The Missed Exit

You were talking. Or distracted. Or overconfident. And now you’ve missed your exit and have to go 10 km off-course.

The Lesson: Even good leaders miss things. What matters is how fast you admit it, course-correct, and move on. Blame wastes fuel. Denial costs distance.

It’s not the wrong turn that defines you. It’s how long you keep driving in the wrong direction.

10. The Tailgater 

Someone is two inches from your bumper, pressuring you to speed up. You can’t go faster. They flash their lights. You feel stressed.

The Lesson: Pressure from stakeholders (bosses, investors, clients, etc.) can feel like this. But speeding up under pressure without control is a recipe for disaster. Set the pace that fits your reality, not their urgency.

If the road ahead isn’t clear, slow is strategic. Not weak.

To Sum Up…

Driving is an act of constant judgment, negotiation, and adaptation. So is management. You read the signals, scan the road, communicate intentions, and stay alert for the unexpected.

And sometimes? You just need to roll down the window, take in the view, and enjoy the journey with your team.