I was in Phoenix last week as we are preparing to launch a new Acumen CEO team and ultimately a larger community there. It will be our third city we’re going to go deep in. Are you ready Phoenix? Chat up Fred Jentgen to learn more.

At dinner before our event with Fred and his wife, they challenged me to take Waymo to our meeting the next morning.

“What’s Waymo?” I coyly ask.

Well, it’s the driverless taxi service. No person. Just the car, you, and a slice of, “Do I trust all this tech to keep me alive?”

I’m all for delegating and using technology to further our lives but there was something about this experience that set me on edge. I felt like a grandpa staring at a new iPhone after using a flip phone for the last 20 years. I know I’m supposed to be glad it’s there, but why is my gut all tied in knots?

So why waste a good episode of personal Fear Factor and not take some lessons out of it?

It’s that time in November where we are thinking about next year, budgets, planning, people, and seats. So here are some questions to get your mind in the right space and think about some deeper issues while you do all the blocking and tackling of getting ready.

Where are you sitting?

You would think this is a dumb question but there are many entrepreneurs who are sitting in the back of driverless car with the right directions to get to where they want to go, but are not leading the company there. Like me using Waymo, they just hope to arrive safely and on time.

Check yourself. Are you surviving, just getting the next most important thing done, or are you leading your company to your destination? If you aren’t sure … you aren’t leading.

Perhaps there is a certain route that needs more of you next year. You’ve left it and it needs you back in the driver seat.

Look at your business as a whole. Where are you sitting?

How’s your tech stack?

Too many tools, not the right tools, AI, no AI, custom, off the shelf – so … many … shiny … objects…

How’s your tech stack driving your company forward or holding it back? There are driverless cars now, but most of us don’t need to be on that cutting edge. If you aren’t strategic about your technology stack, you’ll either end up bloated, spending too much money and bogging down your team in the process, or left behind and losing out to competition.

There is a sweet spot and it’s a wicked tension. Find it. Assess, decide, execute. Pro tip: Let the people doing the work be a part of the process. Nothing more fun than when the ivory tower decides to implement something the front line hasn’t seen.

Don’t forget: humans are still needed.

While riding it dawned on me that humans are still needed in this process. Someone has to clean the car – inside and out. The passenger side front seat was pushed all the way forward. Someone did that. Then there’s all the software coding and general IT infrastructure. At the end of the day – humans are a key part of the strategy. So tech stack – yeah. Human stack – heck yeah! Don’t forget your humans are the most important part of your company, no matter what.

Get uncomfortable, or make a dumb decision.

Where are you going to get uncomfortable in 2025? What 1-3 new ideas, markets, people, products, services should you test? You can’t do them all. Start with a brainstorm with your team and just dream on the whiteboard. Then give it a week or two, and look at the list again. The cream always rises to the top.

Heck, my family all told me I was making a dumb decision and they wouldn’t go near it. What “dumb decision” do you need to look at because it could be one of the best things you do all year? Again, let you team mitigate the risk.

Get on the highway.

I found out on the way to my destination that it was going to take me 15 extra minutes. Why? Because they haven’t fully tested highways yet. All side streets. Sweet.

Are there any departments in your company where they are taking side streets and it’s taking too long? Are there any people who you have kept on the side streets because they weren’t ready for the highway? Are they ready to go now?

Highways get you to where you are going faster. Where and when can you start taking one?

OPR: Other People’s Resources.

I could listen to some sweet tunes on a gaggle of stations as I rode. I was impressed that they went to this level of detail. Well, they were strategic and found a partner that already had all this figured out: iHeart Radio. They used other people’s resources to make their product better.

What resources of yours could other companies use to give their customers a better experience? What resources could you collaborate with to give your customers a better experience?

Waymo gave me Way Mo than I bargained for (#dadjoke). But you don’t have to put your life in the hands of software developers to get the learning points that can help you take a leap forward next year. Acumen is full of CEOs and owners that are working hard at this together. Is it time to join a team of other drivers on the journey? Come and see.