The RAF station near where I live has decreed that all its personnel should walk around wearing a dayglo cycling band. They look a bit silly.

I’m all in favour of doing everything we can to be safe but blanket use of dayglo leads to an element of dayglo blindness. It also absolves of responsibility those who are likely to cause the problem. The speed limit on the camp is 15 miles per hour anyway and there are lots of pavements and walkways. Military types are supposed to be particularly rule abiding and…er…brave. If the pedestrians were using the walkways and being sensible and the motorists were sticking to the speed limits and not driving on pavements then there would be no danger at all. Imagine how ‘trusted’ all the people sporting their dayglo bands feel. It’s written in their faces when I meet them.

The more we try and legislate with digital rules the more we give people, and their inner chimps, the opportunity to be lazy and stop being vigilant either for signs of potential danger or their own misgivings. It takes effort to spot subtle signs. Top performers are trained to work with nuances.

The more potential ‘threats’ out there the more vigilant and considerate we become. It’s been proved that fewer road markings and signs make drivers more cautious and aware. Even something simple like taking away the white line in the middle of the road means people slow down because they now have to rely on their own judgment. In London there are so many cyclists on the road that drivers are keeping a constant eye out for them. Every time I see a cyclist on a pavement (where they shouldn’t be) I get quite cross: not only are they endangering pedestrians, they’re also not learning how to deal with car drivers and car drivers are learning that the ‘threat’ of having to deal with cyclists is diminishing.

Beautifully the local parish council has decided that a pavement only 2 feet wide should become a cycle path so children can cycle to school. Unfortunately no children cycle – their parents would rather drive them or they walk – so the only people who use the ‘cycle path’ are a tiny minority of ignorant adults. Most cyclists use the road; it’s a 30mph section bracketed by speed bumps and traffic lights.

Presumably the military feels its personnel aren’t clever enough to obey rules or see things without covering them in bright digital colours. After all the Napoleonic wars were fought between armies dressed in bright primary colours. It’s actually that the hierarchy is so fearful of being sued they’d rather ensure a short term bill of health on their watch than allow their troops to ‘grow’ and learn. Unfortunately the ‘risk averse’ culture will seep into every decision and the British taxpayer will be paying £35bn a year for a military ‘force’ that fears to step outside its own fortresses.

This has been a little bit of a rant. The lesson, though, is important: don’t try and legislate threats away; take every opportunity to learn, keep practising interpretation of the environment and its nuances and trust yourself and others.

Coaching is about helping people listen to their inner genius. If you think you’ve been swept along by a digital safety culture and would like to learn more about how to keep yourself truly fulfilled drop me a line through the Inflow Performance Facebook page, the Breaking Free group page or visit the Inflow Performance website.