Leadership Lessons For IT Solutions Providers From The Boundary Waters Canoe Wilderness Area
By Rich Anderson, executive coach with HTG Peer Groups
In the still, cool early morning air, two bald eagles soar over the slate-gray lake encircled by a dense, dark green pine forest. A blue-gray heron drops to the safety of the middle of the lake. A few moments after the eagles disappear into the distant trees, the heron flies toward the lake’s edge for its morning fishing. Like a streak of lighting bolting from the trees, one of the eagles zeros in on the gangly heron. Instantly there is a winged struggle as the eagle hauls its large prey to the shore, wings flapping loudly as the two birds struggle. Feathers fly everywhere ... then it is still again. The eagles quietly feast on the now limp heron.
If you have never been to the Boundary Waters Canoe Wilderness Area in northeastern Minnesota and southwestern Ontario you are missing one of the most accessible wilderness areas in North America. Over the years I have been energized by encounters with black bear and moose, quieted by the loon’s haunting wail, and satiated by feasting on fresh walleye. This year, with my son-in-law and three of my darling grandchildren in tow (aged 11, 7, and 5 years) I saw several leadership lessons being lived out.
Evie At The Helm — Proficiency Before Efficiency. My seven-year-old granddaughter was given the helm (the rear seat) of her canoe where she had the responsibility of steering the canoe. Her path was rather serpentine. She was not efficient in getting from point A to point B. She lacked skill. She was not proficient. Rather than being frustrated with her, my son-in-law understood and patiently gave her the opportunity to build her skills. Do you understand, as a leader, that efficiency and people often don’t mix? Are you patiently training and allowing your team members to become proficient before you expect efficiency?
Paddling Involves Portaging — So Make It Easy. To make forward progress in the Boundary Waters you have to portage. To portage is to pick up your canoe and carry it over a narrow, rocky path to the next lake some distance ahead. It is the hardest and least enjoyable part of the trip. Without it you don’t see the pristine wilderness, the soaring eagle, the lumbering bear, and the wading moose. My canoe weighs 58 pounds. His canoe weighs 41 pounds. Which would you rather carry? Me too. What are the portages your team has to traverse to reach its goals? How can you make it easy for them? Take the time to think through that. We all want easy.
The Heron’s Mistake — Assume Nothing. The heron was managing risk. With the disappearance of the eagles the apparent threat of death by attack was gone. Perhaps its drive to eat (minimizing the threat of death by starvation) pushed it to the shallows to feed. The heron’s assumption created a false sense of security.
When we first arrived the parking lot was full. With some anxiety I assumed the limited number of easier access kid-friendly campsites would be full. With gear for five I wanted to avoid a long difficult portage to an adjacent lake with additional campsites. My anxiety mounted as other groups beat us to the portage. Like the heron, I had limited knowledge. Several groups departed as we portaged on. My anxiety declined a bit. Finally, I asked one group about the campsite occupancy. Good news — real time information! They just left a great site with no canoes seen nearby. My assumption created a false sense of worry. My worry turned to joy with good real time information.
Reflect on your risks: employee turnover, avoiding conflict, health and nutrition, burn out, insufficient cash on hand, low gross margin, fear of failure, poor focus … What assumptions are you making? I have been burned enough by assuming, so I try to operate under the “assume nothing” principal. This means over-communicate, inquire and confirm your understanding. Hard for the heron but not for you. Manage your risks, but assume nothing.
The Eagle’s Victory — Patiently Practice Your Process. The eagles departed. They flew into cover. Rather than striking the sitting heron in the middle of the lake, they waited. They kept an eye on their objective. When the heron was closer to shore and success was more likely (and easier!) they struck. Success! How is your patience? Do you know when to strike? How is your process? Does it make success likely and easy?
With the loons’ wail wafting over the lake, I begin to hear a familiar buzzing sound. The Minnesota state bird — the mosquito — and his million friends has come out to play. Thus, it is time for me to head to the tent or suffer the same fate as the heron, so I bid you a French voyager adieu.
In HTG we discuss topics like wise leadership. To learn more visit HTG Peer Groups.com.
Rich Anderson is an executive coach with HTG Peer Groups where he is most energized by helping people around their priorities. He also presents leadership workshops and seminars including team personality and judgment assessments and training. Prior to his affiliation with HTG, Rich was a private practice attorney where his practice included advising small business owners from startup through succession, estate planning, and conflict resolution. Rich also served four terms in the Iowa Legislature. You can reach him at randerson@htgpeerpgroups.com.
This article originally appeared at http://htgpeergroups.com/blog/entry/leadership-lessons-from-the-boundary-waters-canoe-wilderness-area.html.