The Danger of Leadership on Cruise Control

Driving down the freeway in highway assist mode reminded me how easy it is to lose focus when things feel automatic. The car adjusts, brakes, and keeps its lane without much effort from me. It’s smooth, it’s convenient—and that very convenience tempts me to stop paying attention.

But here’s the truth: the moments when everything feels “under control” are often the moments when danger is closest. If I look away for too long, a sudden stop, an unexpected lane change, or debris on the road could catch me off guard. The stakes are high—because one second of inattention can undo miles of steady driving.

Leadership works the same way. When things are running smoothly, we’re tempted to relax our focus. Yet these are the very times when we must stay most alert. Why?

• Because challenges rarely announce themselves in advance.

• Because people can struggle silently while appearing fine on the surface.

• Because opportunities for growth often hide in the ordinary.

• Because one overlooked detail can have ripple effects across an entire organization.

Paying attention isn’t about living in fear—it’s about honoring the responsibility of leadership. Just as a driver keeps scanning the road, a leader must stay fully engaged, knowing that lives, futures, and culture depend on it.

This isn’t just a driving issue—it’s human nature. Research on “automation complacency” shows that when humans rely too heavily on automated systems, situational awareness declines, attention drifts, and reaction time slows (Parasuraman & Riley, 1997; Merritt et al., 2019). Pilots, drivers, and leaders all face this challenge. When the system seems steady, we disengage.

Leadership often mirrors this experience. When routines are established, staff are settled, and data looks steady, leaders can slip into “highway assist mode.” Meetings run as scheduled, instruction looks smooth enough, and the daily machine of the school or organization hums along.

But here’s the danger: just because things look steady doesn’t mean the road ahead is clear. A sudden obstacle—a struggling student, a teacher burning out silently, a policy change, or a shift in community needs—can appear without warning. If leaders are coasting, they’ll react too slowly, causing more harm than good (Bahner, Huper, & Manzey, 2008).

Great leadership demands attentiveness even when the environment feels routine. It’s not about paranoia—it’s about purposeful awareness. The best leaders keep their hands on the wheel, scanning the horizon, checking blind spots, and anticipating what’s next (Day & Schoemaker, 2019).

Complacency may feel safe, but it slowly erodes culture, performance, and momentum. Leadership is about guiding the mission forward, not just maintaining the lane.

Educate

Education begins with awareness. Leaders must educate themselves on the risks of complacency, just as drivers must understand the limits of highway assist. Knowledge is a shield against overconfidence. Leaders should study case studies of organizational drift, research on vigilance, and lessons from industries like aviation and medicine where attentiveness saves lives (Parasuraman & Manzey, 2010).

Educating also means helping teams see that “smooth” does not equal “safe.” Staff should be taught to recognize early warning signs—slipping morale, declining engagement, or stagnant innovation—so they don’t assume stability is the same as progress. By building a culture of learning, leaders create teams that stay aware of blind spots and anticipate challenges before they escalate.

Empower

Leadership vigilance is not about one person carrying the full weight. It’s about creating shared responsibility. Empowering your team means giving them voice, ownership, and the confidence to act when they notice something others may miss. A leader who empowers their team communicates clearly: Your awareness matters. What you see, sense, or feel has value.

When leaders empower others, they break the myth of “I’ve got this all covered.” Instead, they invite collaboration and strengthen collective vigilance (Gao, Liu, Zhao, Fu, & Schriesheim, 2023). Empowered teams are quicker to spot blind spots, quicker to surface problems, and more confident in suggesting solutions.

True empowerment is consistency in action—leaders who don’t just say they value attentiveness but reward it. For example, when a teacher shares a small concern before it grows into a crisis, the leader affirms their awareness rather than dismissing it. This builds a culture where staying engaged is the norm, not the exception.

Equip

Awareness and empowerment require tools and habits. Leaders must equip themselves and their teams with practical strategies to stay off autopilot:

1. Systems for scanning. Build intentional routines into the week for reviewing data, walking the halls, and checking pulse points across the organization. Don’t wait for a crisis—train yourself to look for weak signals of change.

2. Feedback loops. Equip your culture with mechanisms where staff and students can safely and consistently raise concerns. Anonymous surveys, open office hours, or quick daily check-ins ensure important signals don’t get lost.

3. Probing leadership questions. Don’t just ask “How’s it going?” Equip your conversations with clarity-driven prompts like: What challenges are hiding under the surface? What’s working but fragile? Where might we be drifting instead of driving? These sharpen focus and keep dialogue meaningful (Cadővá, 2021).

Equipping is about creating habits and systems that reinforce attentiveness so leaders and their teams don’t slip back into complacency.

Final Thought

Automation can assist you, but it cannot replace you. The moment a leader stops paying attention is the moment culture begins to drift, small cracks go unnoticed, and opportunities slip away. Leadership isn’t about coasting—it’s about guiding. Keep your eyes on the road, your hands on the wheel, and your focus sharp.

“Complacency is the enemy of progress.” — Dave Stutman

Call to Action

This week, identify one area of your leadership where you’ve gone into “highway assist mode.” Step off autopilot and re-engage. Your attentiveness may be the difference between maintaining the status quo and moving toward excellence.

Three Reflective Leadership Questions

1. Where in my leadership am I most tempted to coast?

2. How can I sharpen my awareness without creating unnecessary stress?

3. In what ways can I communicate vigilance to my team with clarity and consistency?

Journaling Prompt

Think of a time when you let part of your leadership run on autopilot. What happened as a result? Now imagine what could have happened if you had stayed fully engaged. Write about how you’ll apply that lesson moving forward.

References

Bahner, J. E., Huper, A.-D., & Manzey, D. (2008). Misuse of automated decision aids: Complacency, automation bias and the impact of training experience. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 66(10), 673–689. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhcs.2008.06.001

Cadővá, L. (2021). Application of leadership vigilance for the development of management practice. IBIMA Publishing Journal of Human Resources Management Research, 2021, 386482. https://doi.org/10.5171/2021.386482

Day, G. S., & Schoemaker, P. J. H. (2019). See sooner, act faster: How vigilant leaders thrive in an era of digital turbulence. MIT Press.

Gao, Z., Liu, Y., Zhao, C., Fu, Y., & Schriesheim, C. A. (2023). Winter is coming: An investigation of vigilant leadership, antecedents, and outcomes. Frontiers in Psychology. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1152967

Merritt, S. M., Heimbaugh, H., LaChapell, J., & Lee, D. (2019). Automation-induced complacency potential: Development and validation of a measure. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 225. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00225

Parasuraman, R., & Manzey, D. H. (2010). Complacency and bias in human use of automation: An attentional integration. Human Factors, 52(3), 381–410. https://doi.org/10.1177/0018720810376055

Parasuraman, R., & Riley, V. (1997). Humans and automation: Use, misuse, disuse, abuse. Human Factors, 39(2), 230–253. https://doi.org/10.1518/001872097778543886

Stutman, D. (n.d.). Complacency is the enemy of progress [Quote]. Retrieved from https://www.goodreads.com