Monday, April 1, 2013

Developing the Ability to Manage Many Things in a Dynamic and Difficult Environment



For those that have taken our Driver Activation Training the recent analogy provided by Jocelyn Faubert at the University of Montreal regarding brain capacity is the same as our example on becoming more proactive in driving.  In discussing Wayne Gretzky, Faubert highlights his capacity to “anticipate how the play was unfolding – to know where the puck was going to be and meet it there.”  This is what distinguishes elite competitors.  According to Faubert, “if you compare him with the other players in the NHL, he wasn’t the fastest, wasn’t the one with the most powerful shot.  But the whole of the story was much better than all of the others.  In other words, he saw things, he did things, he anticipated things at a much higher level.”    Sound familiar?

Consistent with our experience, Faubert concludes that this is a trainable skill.  “Essentially, this is a form of intelligence.  This is brain activity.”  drive for life has long maintained that activating the brain is the key component in better and safer driving.  The immediate financial payout in the training comes from the 30% reduction in collision incidents.  But there is also a spill over effect on the trainee’s performance in other areas.  We are training the brain to multi-task in demanding situations.  High performance individuals use this skill on the road and while managing the complexities of their day-to-day work.

So if we have not convinced you of the benefits of keeping your employees safer on the road, consider the benefits of higher day-to-day performance while working on the job.  Our goal is to create better thinkers.  Help people unlock the potential that resides within.  We continue to evolve and improve our training programs.  New innovations focus on superior multi-tasking, dealing with difficult situations and managing distractions.  These are relevant skills in everyone’s day-to-day performance.