A week ago I had the opportunity to kayak on the rapids of the Snake River in Wyoming. It was an exhilarating experience I was fortunate enough to share with my sons. We hired a guide, Libby, who provided us with the equipment and basic instruction we needed and then she led us down the river and through the rapids.
Upon reflection there were five things that Libby did that day that marketing leaders could emulate when guiding their teams through the turbulent waters of this economy.
- She had a plan that she clearly communicated to us: Before any difficult stretch of water she would would call for a huddle in a calm part of the river and reiterate the plan. We never proceeded until everyone was clear about what was expected of each of us.
- She was realistic about what we should expect: There were some rapids where she warned us there would less than a 50% chance of making it through without get tossed out of the boat. We willingly entered those sections with a full understanding of the difficulty. When we did get overturned, and we frequently did, there was no complaining or finger pointing, merely an acceptance of our fate and a determination to try harder next time.
- She helped us back into our boats when we got dumped: There was no chastising or criticism. But there was an outstretched arm, a word of encouragement and a simple tip that would help us improve.
- She only asked us to do what we could reasonably do, yet challenged us: There were some parts of the river that simply were not safe for adventurers with our limited capabilities. She didn’t expect us to do what we were not capable of doing. In the extremely dangerous rapids she would show us a safe route that we could navigate. Some risks simply were not worth taking. But she was good at assessing which ones were reasonable and encouraged us to try things that challenged us.
- She took time out to help us recover and celebrate: Paddling through rough water can be exhausting. So she had us pause for a few minutes occasionally to watch an eagle chase a hawk or to have a snack on a sandy beach. We would high-five each other when we successfully made it through a rapid or kindly harass the one who didn’t. Most of all, our guide made the challenging journey fun.
If your team is feeling a bit jostled from the turbulent waters of today’s economy, try a few of Libby’s approaches for guiding kayakers through the rapids. She got us through successfully, and that is what your team is looking for you to do for them. Paddle on!
John Ellett is co-founder and CEO of nFusion Group, LLC, a marketing agency that helps companies plan, execute and measure customer engagement programs in today's complex media landscape.
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These are great leadership lessons for anyone in any management role and in any type of organization.
I think your last lesson on celebrating is particularly worth highlighting considering the toll that the economic climate has taken on employee morale at a lot of organizations. Celebrating victories and accomplishments – no matter how big or small – has a HUGE impact on individual and team morale.
Your insight from this trip is so valuable for managers to understand to really get the most out of their staff. It takes the role of a “boss” into more of a “coach”. My organization has in fact adopted an “evaluation” system based on the points you mentioned in your post. Instead of a traditional “evaluation” it is a coaching process that has helped me and many individuals at our organization grow, succeed and strive even during these rough times. Would be happy to post the process to your blog if you/anyone is interested in seeing it!
This is simply an amazing article which could be adopted to every walk of leadership be it at home or outside it. All of know or we “assume” we know or at least “pretend” to know all about it but when reality stares you in the face…..
Thanks for posting such a wonderful article.
Makes me recall the lessons Scouts of my troop learned when we went canoeing. The trip they recalled the best was a trip where we pulled out on an island between two streams of the river. The river was crowded with weekend boaters. The weekenders usually took the wrong stream, one with a fallen tree across it. The boys spent more than an hour pulling people out, recovering paddles and empty canoes. Working as a team to help other people really made an impression on them. Those boys are all in their 40s now.
Great points that remind me of a similar experience on the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. At the end of the trip, my husband, a CIO with a Fortune 500 company at the time, encouraged our guides to apply for positions with his company based on the applicability of their skills to the business environment. He had just spent a week with these folks who had demonstrated outstanding leadership, strong organization skills, and even technical ability (in the huddles in which they analyzed the upcoming rapids).
Great article. Thanks!