One of the best things about life in Colorado, as you might expect, is the breathtaking natural beauty that comes with square mile after square mile of land covered with mountains, forests, meadows, rivers, streams, and lakes.
It’s a great place to call home, and not just for us humans.
Take a drive on any of the state’s many scenic highways and you’ll likely encounter everything from mule deer to elk to bears. And what you’ll find if you take such a drive is that those species aren’t particularly skilled at reading and obeying traffic laws. Thus, there are around 3,300 reported collisions each year in Colorado involving wildlife and vehicles, resulting in around $1.1 billion in annual insurance payouts.
To combat this problem, many western US states (and some provinces in Canada) build wildlife crossing structures, escape ramps, and fences that help direct animals over, under, or around road traffic. As State Highway 9 winds through the Rocky Mountains, for instance, you can encounter two overpasses and five underpasses built for wildlife, as well as 29 wildlife guards, 61 escape ramps and 10.3 miles of fencing.
All of this is good news for both wildlife and people. It also provides an important lesson for leaders, even those who never spend time near the Continental Divide: If you want to enjoy the beauty of your business you better protect the things that make it beautiful.
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Part of a leader’s job is to see the big picture, including the threats employees might or might not see because they are busy doing their jobs. And it’s not enough to just yell, “Watch out for that speeding Subaru!” We need to build protective infrastructure that helps employees go over, under, or around potential trouble.
Fortunately, our employees are way smarter than mule deer, so they can help us identify the most significant threats and contribute to solutions that help them navigate work safely and efficiently.
Overpasses and underpasses can look like resources – help from other teams, equipment, software, subscriptions, and budget increases.
Fences and guardrails are equally important. Some people believe employees don’t like restrictions, but that’s only true if the restrictions funnel them off a cliff or down a dead-end road. Good boundaries free us to focus on the things that matter with a sense of confidence that we won’t be blindsided by the unexpected or led somewhere we shouldn’t go.
When a business is experiencing success, it’s easy to get caught up in all that’s making it good. That’s important. Celebrate the wins! But the competition, the economy, the weather, and all sorts of other uncontrollable factors are still crisscrossing the landscape of your success. Invest in things that will protect those you lead so that they can focus on the work in front of them. And keep on enjoying the beautiful results.
