A little old lady had been pulled over by the police for a routine check. Nothing dramatic. But then they asked her to do something every driver legally has to be able to do… Read a number plate from 20 metres away.

Now, for those of us who still work in feet and inches, that’s about 65 feet. Roughly the length of three Transit vans parked nose to tail. Not a big ask, right? Well, apparently it is. Because this poor woman couldn’t even read the plate six feet in front of her. Even with her glasses on! She was, quite literally, driving blind. Shocking? Yep. Illegal? Definitely. But what really hit me wasn’t just the danger she posed to herself and others… it was the strange little metaphor it sparked in my head.

Because here’s the thing… As business owners, we’re often doing the exact same thing. We’re up to our eyeballs in the day-to-day. Sorting problems, firefighting, chasing quotes, moving goods from A to B, and dealing with those “urgent” things that land on your desk at 4:59pm. We’re so focused on the next six feet that we forget to lift our heads and check the 20-metre view. And I get it – running a business (especially in freight) means you’ve got to be agile. You need to be able to adapt on the fly, change direction when needed, and keep things moving no matter what curveballs or chaos the world throws at you.

But here’s the thing…adaptability means nothing if you’re heading the wrong way. You wouldn’t get in your car and start driving without knowing where you’re going. You might not have the exact route planned… Sat nav might reroute you halfway through… You might stop off for a Greggs and a brew… But you know the destination.

In business, it’s no different. If you’re running on instinct, reacting to whatever’s in front of you without a clue where you’re headed, you’re just winging it – and at some point, that’s going to catch up with you. So maybe it’s time to stop and do a quick eyesight check. Are you clear on where your business is going? Do you know your long-term goals? Are you still aligned with the vision you started out with? Or have you, like that lady on the motorway, lost sight of what’s ahead?

I’d love to hear your thoughts…