I've picked up "Management Rewired" by Charles S. Jacobs in the San Francisco library, and started to read through it quickly. It talks about neuroscience, how stories affect people and group decisions and ultimately how it applies to the field of management. It is a fascinating read and today's blog entry is about such an experience. Unfortunately, the subject was myself and the conditions were a very bad car wreck I got into Saturday night.

I was driving home on the freeway and about two miles from my exit, a car to my right suddenly switch into my lane, no signal, most likely not even realizing I was there. I swerved for a while and hit the divider in the middle of the highway. Lots of things went through my mind between the time I realized that car next to me was actually switching lanes and the time I thought: "I am hitting the wall". I was by myself then so the experiment really starts then when I realized I was conscious, able to pick-up the phone and call 911.

My father is responsible for the road safety of a large area in the north of France and I knew the statistics by heart. Not stopped in one of the driving lane: good, conscious: good, life expectancy: fifteen minutes. I thus was very eager to give as much information as possible to the operator such that CHP (California Highway Patrol) arrives on site as quickly as possible. I was trying to control myself, think straight. It really helped the emergency operator asked clear questions calmly that I could answer without hesitation. While I was talking, suddenly a car hit me. Still stuck in the wall: good. Still conscious: good. Lucky this time. Ten minutes left.

An officer stopped his car on the divider right behind me, stepped out and put the flares on the road. I was safe and that is when the story I started to play by in my mind stumbled upon reality as so often described in the book I referred to earlier.

"Driving license, registration, insurance". I got shocked. As I had seen in many movies, I had pictured myself sitting in the back of an ambulance and answering questions to a smiling officer while a paramedic was checking me out. Suddenly I wasn't a victim. I didn't know what to do. I needed a new storyline to behave by.

I handed him my driver's license but by the time I was going to hand him my insurance card, he was walking to his car, ordering me to get in my car and turn the wheels. I was getting very confused. My body was starting to shake and a headache was coming through. That meant it was still possible I collapse and loose conscience. I was in a danger zone. Comply. Comply. Get the library books out of the truck (there is no credible story you will be able to tell the librarian otherwise). Find a way to leave and meet someone you trust as soon as possible. That was pretty much the only thoughts in my mind at that point. As the shakes got worse, I kept those ideas circling in my head as a way to stay awake.

We were now safe on the left side of the road and the officer was filing paperwork, introducing me to the person that hit my car when the paramedic interrupted him to ask me if I was ok. Obviously the officer was not happy about it. The paramedic asked me about three times if I wanted to get checked. He did not order me to come with him to get checked. Don't piss off the officer. Make the paramedic go away. Get the books. Go somewhere safe. Go home. I said I was fine and signed whatever paperwork he presented me.

I don't know what the officer was thinking. I don't know if what he said actually helped me stay alert and awake. No one got seriously injured. Volkswagen did an incredible job building the Cabrio I was driving. The officers, the paramedic, everyone was very courteous and professional. They saved my life.

That book I was so eager to bring back to the library, "Management Rewired", talks about how people behave through the stories they have in their mind and how it is important for leaders to paint the actions they want to see into compelling stories. I very much wanted to sit down and have the paramedic look at me but I turned him down solely because of the storyline running in my mind. Powerful experience. Very good book.