Every month Rick, and I go for a hike. We traipse all over the Peak District delighting in routes we've not explored before. Our starting point is deciding where we are going to walk and how we will be guided. We choose a location in the White or Dark Peak as our starting point. The walks are circular and around 10 miles in length.
We don’t walk randomly from where we have parked the car, rather we decide on a route guided by a suggestion from www.go4awalk.com (a great website with numerous tried and tested walks) or devise our own plan from an Ordnance Survey map. In the rucksack we have a compass and in our pocket we have a GPS device. They are nearly always needed as we are sure to make the odd wrong turn.
The most difficult part of the walk can be finding our way out of the car park. Getting an initial orientation in the right direction isn’t always easy. Much discussion takes place and very often a quick check is made on the GPS after we’ve gone a few hundred yards. If we must retrace our steps it is no big deal and our next attempt at setting off in the right direction is likely to be more successful.
As we progress we are on the lookout for the next pointer that will confirm we are on the right track. We are also looking for the next path where we turn left or right. Sometimes we are deep in conversation and one of us will lift our head and suggest we take a minute to work out where we are. We are used to retracing our steps for 100 yards because we have missed a turning. We don’t always agree where we are on the map. However, as long-standing mates we don’t fall out about this and after some good-natured debate we agree on the direction.
Following the map, discussing where we are and agreeing on course corrections adds a good 30 to 45 minutes to our five-hour walk. It is part of our day out; it is essential and enjoyable. No matter how hard we study the route map before we set off, it is difficult to envisage what the path will look like until we get there.
There are obvious similarities between our walks and using business frameworks. Maps are our frameworks for our walks. They give comfort that we know where we are going and at any stage they help us understand exactly where we are. The maps are constantly reviewed and discussed. We wouldn’t dream of setting out on a walk without one so why on earth would anyone begin a business journey without a framework.
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