Angry Lobsters, Wild Bears, and Naked Hikers. Lessons in Business Leadership from Hiking across New York State.

June 21st, 2022, is National Naked Hiking Day. I know. Really, I understand. I’m as confused as you are about this. According to Men’s Journal magazine it’s a “lesser known holiday observed by a select, but enthusiastic few.” ?You will be delighted to know that it’s not a holiday I plan on observing, enthusiastically or otherwise.?However, while hiking across New York State, I did come, err, face to face, with a naked hiker on the trail. Now, if you've read my previous leadership articles from 18 months of hiking on the Appalachian Trail, you are probably wondering how on earth can Hodge extract some business leadership lessons from this nonsense??Read on, and you can find the answer to that puzzle, and learn all about the craziness that was hiking across the Empire State.

Self Care

Put your oxygen mask on first.

Hiking the AT north-bound, from the New Jersey border to the Connecticut border, was hard work. At 90 miles in length, and 40K feet of total elevation change, the beautiful landscape varies from some easier sections to parts that are more rock scrambling than hiking. Over the week the weather also included torrential rain, blistering hot and humid days, and finally a summer tropical storm that rolled in. Add to this all kinds of bugs that want to suck you dry of blood, and it certainly makes for a tough time out on the trail.

Self-care is incredibly important, as you have to make sure that you are capable of putting in the miles each day. Reacting to injuries as soon as you notice them is essential. For example, mole skin band-aids applied to your feet will prevent hotspots from becoming blisters, or a good stretch can help alleviate painful IT band issues on the big downhills. Most importantly the trail teaches you how critical it is to combine the right diet with a good night’s sleep. You can come into camp feeling as if you couldn’t even take another step ever again. But eat some good protein, and get a solid 8-9 hours sleep, and you are up and right at it again the next day. The ability for the human body to repair itself is extraordinary.?I also find the sheer act of hiking, of putting one foot in front of the other for hours on end, is incredibly meditative, and I certainly feel calmed, relaxed, and ready to face the world again after a good hike. Even if my first stop is CVS for another tube of anti-itch cream.

There is a lot of talk these days about self-care in the workplace. Many organizations are providing tools and options to help employees work on both mental and physical fitness. Carrying the extra burden of leadership it also means that you have an extra responsibility to make sure you are taking self-care for yourself seriously as well. As they say during an airplane safety briefing, “In case of an emergency put your own mask on first.”?Not only will that help you operate at a level you want to, but it also sets a phenomenal example for your colleagues and teams, such that when you push on them to take self-care seriously, they can look to you as an example.?I’ve been fortunate to take a couple of self-care classes on the power of sleep. Abstract classes are great, but the trail has brought it home to me that absolutely nothing is better for self-care than a good night's sleep. So, if you are not sure where to start on self-care, it’s as easy as going to bed earlier than usual.

Angry Lobsters

Not everything is as it seems.

Sitting right in the middle of the Appalachian Trail was a rather large, and rather angry lobster. Its claws were raised, and it was snapping away at me exactly like you might expect a slightly rude New Yorker lobster to be.

It was towards the end of a long hot day of hiking, and I had less than a mile to get into camp. Stopped in my tracks, I considered the situation. What was a lobster doing in the middle of the woods? Why was he so angry? Did he fall out of the backpack of some erstwhile hiker who couldn’t give up the good life on the trail? None of this made any sense to me, so I simply stepped around the beast, and went on my way. After setting up my tent, I went to chat with some of the other weary hikers and told them about my encounter. One of the hikers started laughing and promptly told me that it was a crayfish which were indigenous to the lakes around there. Somehow, it must have crawled out of the lake, into the woods, and become lost. He lamented that, had I picked it up, it would have made an excellent supper.

As a leader, it’s really important to understand the limitations of making assumptions. In this case, I had assumed it was a lobster no matter how improbable it seemed. Crayfish aren't that far removed from a lobster so it wasn't an awful assumption, just a bit misguided, as most anyone knows lobsters live in the ocean and not deep into the Hudson Valley. It wasn’t until I asked my team for more information, and then researched it, that I got to find out what it really was. Assumptions allow us to make decisions in a vacuum of information, but we need to be aware of the risks that come with that ambiguity. Helping our teams to understand when assumptions are ok, how to validate them, and when cold hard facts are critical, is a valuable leadership skill.

The Bear Necessities

"Be prepared" – every boy scout ever.

Large wild bears roam the woods less than 40 miles from Manhattan.?I know this for a fact, as I came face to face with a large black bear while hiking on the Appalachian Trail (AT) almost within sight of the City.

Fortunately, I had accounted for this risk in my preparation, having watched several YouTube videos on what to do in such a situation. I’d also watched a bunch of videos with titles like “When Polar Bears Attack!” which frankly weren’t that useful in this situation, but were very entertaining. While the bear stood there and assessed me and my hiking buddy, we started tapping our hiking poles together and then politely asked him to move on.?I’m not sure if it was the noise, the British accent saying, “Please Mr. Bear would you mind moving along,” or just that he wasn’t hungry, but after what seemed a long time, he turned his back on us and ambled off into the trees. That was the first, but not the last, bear ass I would see on this trip. With a double shot of adrenalin coursing thru my veins, I got up the next hill in record time.

Preparation matters. In cases like the one I just described, it could be the difference between life and death. In business settings, it’s the difference between success and failure, winning or losing a proposal, responding to a critical issue correctly or letting it overwhelm you. We see this in my field right now where cyber ransomware attacks continue to cause havoc for clients. However, those that have prepared in advance for how to handle such a situation are in a much better place to weather the storm than those that are simply reacting.?Strong business leadership is not only educating our colleagues and teams on the need to prepare, but also leading by example in this space. Things as simple as coming to a meeting with a published agenda, doing your homework on a topic, or practicing a skill until you reach a level of proficiency, are all examples of preparation that set you apart as a leader.

There is an old saying that luck is the intersection of preparation and perspiration. I think I agree wholeheartedly with that.

Deli-Blazing

Cultural Fit Matters.

For the full length of the Appalachian Trial, all 2195 miles, you will find white lines painted on trees, rocks, and roadside fences every few hundred yards. This White-Blaze, as it is called, is critical to ensuring hikers follow the trail correctly. Hiking the AT is called ‘White-Blazing’. In New York, there is a companion to White-Blazing which is called Deli-Blazing. Here hikers can follow the AT, and then get on and off to resupply or get food at one of the many delis that New York is so famous for. Not only are the delis fantastic for breakfast and loading up on calories, but some will even let you camp right behind them. When you are at the start or end of a long day of hiking, there is no need to count the calories. Take my word for it, Deli-Blazing New York is fantastic.

Ensuring that you and your team are getting the most out of whatever cultural potential you have is a vital leadership skill. It could be the culture of where you are geographically or the cultural makeup of your team. How do you organize, motivate, and engage to extract the best of what they have to offer? Doing this with intent can significantly enhance the overall experience for everyone on your team. It can also motivate the entire team when you go out of your way to understand, respect, and be appreciative of these cultural differences. As a leader, being prepared to ask how someone’s cultural barriers or norms might enhance or affect a team’s operation, can help you make informed and appropriate decisions. Stitching together the fabric of all these different cultures is surely what can bring the most strength to our teams and enhance your reputation as a thoughtful leader.

Naked Hiker

Not everything that glitters is gold.

On the same day I came face to face with the large black bear, I also came face to face with a naked hiker. Technically he wasn’t fully naked, as he was wearing boots, his backpack, and a hat. I can only hope he was also wearing bug repellant, as I know the mosquitos were doing a job on me that day. ?As I approached him, he offered a friendly “Hi,” to which my response was something like “Hmmmm.” The next thing he told me was “Hiking naked is legal in New York State parks.”?I again responded with “Hmmm,” as frankly, I couldn’t really think of anything better to say. He wished me “Happy trails,” and then we went on our separate ways. I did at least manage to shout out a “Happy trails,” in return. Looking back over my shoulder, I saw my second bare ass of the day disappear into the woods.

So, at this point, I’m sure you are excited to see what insightful business leadership lessons I drew out of this encounter. Here it is: Sometimes you’ve just got to say “Hmmm,” and accept the fact that there is nothing of value here, and then move on down the trail. That is a pretty valuable leadership lesson right there.

?As for the naked New York hiker, I’m still trying to fuhgettaboutit.

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If you feel inspired enough to make a donation to the CFF, you can do so at the following link, and know that your donation will make a significant difference:?DONATE

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If you would like more information on why I hike, please visit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF) at?www.cff.org .

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