The Humble Compass: Ancient Wisdom for Modern Leaders S1E7

Got podcast love, a plot twist, or a lost-and-found tale? Send fan mail here. Bonus points for wit.

The compass serves as a powerful metaphor for leadership and decision-making, offering reliable direction without the complications of modern technology. Rob Powell explores how this simple tool can teach us about avoiding strategic drift and making small corrections to stay true to our purpose.

• Compasses work without batteries, Wi-Fi, or updates - they simply point north
• Even a few degrees off course (magnetic declination) can send you miles in the wrong direction over time
• "Strategic drift" happens when businesses gradually stray from their original mission
• Leadership isn't always about big moves but small corrections that keep you aligned
• Direction matters more than speed - you can move quickly while heading the wrong way
• Regular compass checks mean asking if decisions align with goals or are just distractions
• Making small corrections now prevents explaining poor choices later

Find your compass and if you're heading in the wrong direction, at least do it with snacks or a good cup of coffee.

Support the show

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
All right, let's talk about one of the most
underrated tools on earth.
And no, it's not a Keurig,although I do respect the
caffeine gods.
I'm talking about the compass,that's right, a tiny spinning
needle that somehow stillmatters in a world where your
fridge can send you a grocerylist and your watch judges your
sleep habits.
Now look, I'm notanti-technology.

(00:24):
I love a good map app as muchas the next lost dad.
But there's something about acompass no batteries, no Wi-Fi,
no Siri SaaS that feels reliable, grounded, almost like it's too
old school to lie to you.
I collect compasses.
I keep one in my go bag andanother in my backpack, not

(00:44):
because I'm expecting to bedropped into the hunger games,
but because they work always andthey're humble too.
A compass doesn't try toimpress you with real-time
updates or sponsored ads.
It doesn't say in 400 feet,make a slight left onto Chaos
Avenue.
It just says this is North.
Do with that what you will.
And that, my friends, isleadership.

(01:09):
Let's get nerdy for a second.
Have you heard of magneticdeclination?
That's the small differencebetween magnetic North and true
North.
It sounds like something you'dlearn in scouts right before
eating a burnt marshmallow.
But here's the kicker Even afew degrees off can send you
miles off course over time.
In business, that's what we callstrategic drift.

(01:31):
You start with a missionstatement, a purpose, maybe even
a laminated vision card, andthen slowly, thanks to quarterly
panic and shiny object syndrome, you're off building something
no one actually wanted.
Suddenly, you're thegluten-free pickle startup, and
you were supposed to be asoftware company.
Okay, that might be anexaggeration, but you get the

(01:53):
idea.
So how do you avoid becomingthe metaphorical guy who took
the wrong trail and ended upexplaining his life choices to a
tree?
You stop, you breathe, you pullout the compass and you ask
what was I trying to do again,does this decision actually
align with my goals or is itjust the loudest thing in my

(02:14):
inbox?
Sometimes leadership isn't aboutbig moves.
It's about small corrections,tiny turns that keep you on
track, kind of like choosing notto reply to that 2 am email,
which is truly a bold act ofresistance.
Now let me be clear.
I carry a compass because Ilead teams, climb mountains and

(02:36):
occasionally get lost in a BassPro Shop.
It reminds me that directionmatters more than speed.
You can be moving fast andstill be wildly off course.
Just ask anyone who's eversprinted through an airport
toward the wrong gate.
A compass doesn't care how fastyou're going, it just quietly
points the way.
It says hey, bud, north's thatway.

(02:58):
If you're heading south becausesomeone on LinkedIn made it
sound sexy, that's on you.
So if you're feeling off trackand your team's running in
circles or your life's turnedinto a weird corporate scavenger
hunt, don't download anotherproductivity app.
Put out your metaphoricalcompass.
Recheck your values, yourmission, your why, then?

(03:21):
Make one small turn, becauseeven one degree of course
correction.
Now that could save you fromexplaining to your board or your
spouse why you spent the lastsix months chasing digital pet
NFTs.
That's a true story.
It's not mine.
All right, that's it, fortoday's episode of Housekeeping
Didn't Come where we clean upnothing, but we do try to make

(03:44):
sense of the mess.
I'm Rob Powell.
Find your compass and if you'reheading in the wrong direction,
at least do it with snacks or agood cup of coffee.