Consider the 2 front seats in a van. We call the van Nissan in Kenya even though they are mostly Toyota Hiace vans. I still have no idea where that came from. (Let me know in the comments if you know why we call them so).
2 seats. The middle seat is right next to the driver (on his left – we’ll label it seat “A”) and the left seat is right next to the door (the farthest from the driver – let us call it seat “B”). So that gives us an A-seater and a B-seater.
What do you think about the two seats? If you were to be offered a choice over one of them for a long journey, which would you prefer?
What if it was for a shorter one?
Your answer to both questions is probably the same seat number, and if my guess is right, it is seat B. (Am I wrong? Again, let me know in the comments)
Why do you think it is so?
I will share what I think the reasons are and then lead us to learn something regarding it. Let us get on with it. This is merely an analogy, not a reason to avoid the said seats.
Seat A (the middle seat)
Commonly, seat A is;
- In between the driver’s seat and seat B
- Smaller compared to the other two.
- Different from the others
- Squeezed in – more like an afterthought – like an additional input originally not in the plan
- Next to the gearbox and so quite an uncomfortable place to sit in manual vehicles
- Lacking the same level of safety features, such as dedicated airbags and seat-belt systems, making it less safe than the side seats
But;
Apart from all these characteristics, it is a stable place to sit in (as a passenger) compared to seat B. Stable in terms of ‘bother’ because you only move when you are the one alighting, unlike seat B where you have to climb down and back up again when an A-seater wants to get off.
Seat B
This seat is;
- The most comfortable of the 2 (considering its design) as it resembles the driver’s seat.
- Equipped with safety features, such as dedicated airbags and seat-belt systems, making it safer than the side seats.
- Next to the door and so, quite easy to drop off when you arrive.
- More spacious in terms of leg extension. More room.
- Superior: or at least we think so. The side seat (B) gives an indecipherable feeling of superiority and control. You feel like the man/woman in charge. The other person won’t come down if you do not do so first. You control how high the window goes, hanging out your hand as a ‘cool’ passenger.
Oh my, the kind of ego we generate from this simple seat is dumbfounding! It’s a cold war getting to retain this seat.
Otherwise, you generally experience much ‘bother’ when you intend to travel long distances with co-passengers – of seat A) who are traveling for short distances. You will get off at every stage to allow the other passenger to alight or pick another.
This is the most common occurrence in many PSVs since the first passenger to enter the front area battles to retain the front side seat. It is a sight to see. Try it the next time you are traveling using a ‘Nissan’.
So, why all this? Seems odd for a leadership and growth site. Much leaner for a mechanic though. You are right. So let’s make it our own.
I intend to relate these two seats to our lives, work, and visions.
- The Driver exemplifies the Vision because he/she will stop when he reaches his destination – or otherwise the final station – success.
- The Two Seats A & B represents, as I call them, ‘the Vision Believers’.
- Alighting represents leaving the Vision or a point when we no longer ascribe to the vision. This happens quite a lot in organizations just like in the van.
- The Van represents the organization, company, or team.
- The Distance corresponds to how far we go to fulfill the vision or how far we go until we no longer believe in the vision.
“In knowing yourself, thinking matters, for it precedes the doing. But behaviour is in the doing and it expresses the thinking. It’s how you know yourself and how others know you – behaviors.“
– Odhiambo J. Omondi
Seat B (also called Fake Vision-Believers)
This is the seat that we should avoid (not literally). This seat corresponds to people who buy into a vision and almost immediately lose their sense of purpose in the vision.
Instead, they work on gaining comfort, control, and status in the organization. If it is an organization, it includes those who seek power and authority and then do everything to retain it.
They will allow people in only to let them go after they have outlived their usefulness. They control who comes in and goes out. They maintain this power by finding and sticking to a position with direct oversight over employees and operations.
They behave like leeches or are just inspired by them. Parasitic all the way supping all the effort and enthusiasm that others have.
You can only get a chance in the organization when you know them, have their graces, are related to them, or when you grease their palms.
Otherwise, whether you have the skills or expertise to propel the vision or are ardent about pursuing the vision, you will not get an opportunity with the company unless, of course, they are desperate enough to save – a dying – company – which is often the case – and in such a case you are treated like a police hotline (911).
To a B-seater, the vision is not important. They only focus on the daily operations, more like managing the company and fashioning it to their desire, to what works for them as long as the business is not shut down or lose their source of benefit.
Take a glimpse at most companies that have been in operation for a long time but have nothing tangible to show for that time. High-risk departments in such institutions include Human Resources, Accounting & Finance, and Supply & Management. You know what I am talking about (let me know if you do not).
So, to this seater, signing out of the vision is as easy as blinking the eye. He will alight at each station – any time the company experiences turmoil – and climb aboard the sooner the company gets back on its feet.
They only look after their benefit and none else. These are the kind of leaders that John C. Maxwell in his latest book “High Road Leadership” calls ‘Low Road Leaders.’
They are the first and the last. A queue made of one. No one else. Only gains, they accept nothing else, neither struggles nor losses.
There are lots of downs when dealing with Seat B people some of which include the following:
- They divide people – the ‘divide and rule’ philosophy works for them.
- They devalue the people they work with as mere ‘tools’ to be used and discarded when not needed.
- They use your company/vision as a ride-along to reach their selfish goals.
- They destroy teamwork since they are too full of themselves to accept beneficial corrections, criticism, and changes.
- They do not pursue the company’s vision and, are straining the others by allowing unending stops, pauses, delays, and pulling back the others.
Seat A (also called True Vision-Believers)
These are the kind of people you want to have on your team. They stay close to the vision to remind themselves where they are headed. Not only that, but they continuously allow anyone who wants to join them to come in without exerting control over them. They leave it open – the B-seat is left empty – for the next joining member of the company.
As much as they do this, they also allow anyone who might have fallen from belief -in the vision- to leave without any struggle like B-seaters would. It is seamless. Come in, or go out. They are free to make their own decisions.
They stay on for the long haul. Whether there are turmoils, stops, or delays, they keep closer to the vision. They are not worried about comfort for they have a purpose that keeps them company toward fulfilling the vision. These people will do something because it is the right thing to do whether it ends in their benefit or not.
A-seaters are few in leadership positions seemingly because they cannot be controlled or corrupted to give favors and make cloud deals. They are not desirable to many self-interested leaders. So it is their mission to keep them out of the leadership positions though this does not deter the A-seaters. They are a danger to self-absorbed people.
In “High Road Leadership”, John calls them the ‘high road leaders’.
Some of the outcomes of leading with A-seaters include the following:
- They bring people together. They enjoy working with others.
- They value the people they meet treating them better than themselves.
- They use the company’s vision as a compass and guide to where they are going.
- They encourage teamwork as they know each member’s strengths and input.
- They pursue the company’s vision therefore complementing the other teams and departments.
- They consider change, delays, and temporary stops a chance to review, re-calibrate, and correct their methods.
- They stay close to the vision; so they do not lose sight of their goal. They remind themselves of the company’s vision every day.
Think about these things when you board the front seats next time, not by avoiding seat B but by considering whether you are a B-seater or A-seater in life.
How’d you know? Easy, do you do the things a B-seater does, or do you do those an A-seater does?
In knowing yourself, your thinking matters, for it precedes the doing. But behaviour is in the doing and it expresses the thinking. It’s how you know yourself and how others know you – behaviors.
You can switch from a B-seater to an A-seater thinking.
Just begin by doing the opposite of what you have been doing (if you have been a B-seater). The best place to start is by valuing each person you meet. See their worth. Do not lose sight of this otherwise, you’ll fall right back in.
If you are leading an organization, a company, or even a team, you should be aware of the B-seaters and help them embrace an A-seater mentality. Differently, they will grind your effort to a halt.
Encourage the A-seaters and give them leadership positions. They will improve your odds of achieving your vision. They are the ‘true vision believers’.
Let us keep traveling. The journey is long. The longer it is the more the chance to grow and change.
See you in the next article. You can reach out to me.
