July 2014

Another Help Thought2Share

Our advertising and marketing agency is located in scenic Downtown Roanoke (www.visitroanokeva.com). With our on street entrance, we have the pleasure of watching people parallel park. There are a lot of different ways to tackle this often challenging task. (My dad taught me the right way, so message me if you want some tips.)

I find humor in watching people determined to get their car into a spot even though they are too far away from the curb or too near another vehicle. Sometimes drivers will see an open spot, but they just can't get their cars to do what they want them to. Squeeze. Turn. Squeeze. Turn. It's just not going to work.

The best course of action with parallel parking when you have a bad approach is to pull out of the space and start all over.

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Editor's Note: While this is a genuine example of Bruce's fine parallel parking skills, there was no witness to how many tries it took him to get it right.

Use This Idea4Problem Solving

If you've started your parking approach with a bad angle or a missed mark, stop right there. Be bold. Go back to the beginning and take a new line (even if people are watching you or the person in the passenger seat is giving you a hard time).

It's the same with a creative challenge, an issue with one of your clients or a problem you have to solve. Before you get locked into an absolute plan, consider if it wouldn't be wiser to back out from the bad angle and start anew. Often I find a new look on a perplexing situation gives me the inspiration to find the right solution or the perfect fit.

That's a principle that holds true whether it is in my "Imported from Detroit" Chrysler or with a work predicament that has our team stumped.