Is Using Cruise Control Cheating?

Cruise control essentially takes over the throttle to maintain a steady speed in your vehicle.  While convenient, and sometimes necessary, is it robbing you of the driving experience?  I get it – you’re free to stretch your legs, relax your driving foot, and maybe even settle back and “enjoy the ride”, but is that enough to get you where you want to go?

In this instance, your “vehicle” may be your company, mentor or a consultant.  It could also be your friends, family, or circumstances.    And your destination… well… where do you want to go in life?  Do you desire to be the youngest CEO in your organization’s history, or the first entrepreneur in your family?  Perhaps you’d like to volunteer more.

You know what you want to do.  The question is, is cruise control going to get you there?  Sure you’ve got to turn the system on.  That of course is active participation.  There are also controls there to “set” the speed, accelerate and decelerate, not to mention “resume” if you’ve suddenly had to speed up or slow down. Some vehicles even have a button to “cancel” the operation.

Before 1960, most people weren’t aware of the handy feature for the cars, but ironically it was the norm for their careers.  Whether it was getting enough schooling to join the military, getting married and managing a home, or graduating college and going to work for a premier employer – it was for life.  No thinking about it. Choose a path (or engage the system) and go! Every once in a while, check the speedometer to ensure adequate, socially acceptable speed, occasionally stopping for gas and routine maintenance, course correction, etc., but once on track – back to cruising.

We fly when we want to get somewhere quickly.  We take a bus, train, or cab when we want (or need) someone else to get us there.  Driving on the other hand is an experience.  Not for the faint of heart.  You may be cut off when some guy in the office steals your idea or your competitor reels in the big fish you’ve been feeding for months.  Or get stuck in road construction as your boss ponders, and ponders your proposal.  You may even be completely stalled by a roadblock like your company closing overnight.  If you’re cruising along, blinded by highway hypnosis, and a fox runs unexpectedly across the road the consequences have the potential to wreak havoc in your life, career, or both.

Back to the question at hand, “is using cruise control cheating you out of opportunities to enrich your life and enhance your career?”  The answer is simple, yes and no.  The explanation behind the answer is a tad more complex.

First you choose to engage your cruise control system either passively through inaction, or by recognizing where you are making the decision to coast for a bit.  Since the system was initially designed for long journeys or relatively straight and even terrain, it’s a great tool to use once you’ve examined your course.  Secondly, it gives you the opportunity to relax a little and carefully check out what’s going on around you while keeping your eyes on the road.  Therefore, it is not only useful, but often necessary when driving great distances.

Conversely when traveling down a steep hill, cruise control may take you well over the limit you’ve set.  We’ve all been there.  Coasting along and one thing, that FINAL thing, happens and you completely lose control.  One Facebook rant, inappropriate comment in a meeting, or telling the boss what you really think and well… Losing control, even for a second, can be detrimental!  Likewise depressing the brake too quickly or applying too much pressure can send you into a tailspin.  Stopping short causes everything to shift in the vehicle, not to mention you may show up late or not at all.  And finally, let’s not forget that sometimes using cruise control just flat out consumes too many resources.  When traveling uphill, your vehicle over throttles.  Going downhill, it pulls too hard to slow down.  In these instances, it’s much more effective to take control yourself.

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Need clarity on when and how to use cruise control?  Contact Clarity Leadership Consulting for a free introductory individual coaching session or organizational needs consultation.