OTT Issue #5: Preparation Is Power (Up to a Point)

Here in my adopted home state of Colorado there’s lots of skiing and snowboarding. Most people (including me) drive nice, warm cars to the ski resort of their choice.

Then they stand in a lift line with what seems like every human being who owns a puffy coat, ride a chairlift up the mountain, and go down a series of runs until they’re back at the bottom of the mountain.?

They repeat that cycle – lift line, chairlift, runs – for as long as they like. Sometimes they stop for a beer or a warm waffle, both of which are easily accessible.?

If something bad happens and they get injured at some point during this cycle, the highly trained resort staff is on hand to help. There are bathrooms and gear rentals nearby. It’s very civilized and relatively low risk.?

Most people ski and snowboard this way. Some people do not.??

Those people go skiing and snowboarding in what’s called the “backcountry.” That means that instead of getting on a ski lift and gliding down smooth, safe runs with lots of signs and easily accessible beer and waffles, they wander off and ski somewhere uncharted.?

They’re like the poster children for this newsletter, because all they do (at least during ski season) is go off the trail.?

Last week I wrote about how marketers need to override our innate risk aversion, and do things even if we’re the first.?

Somebody has to be first, I argued. Might as well be you! Go out and BE the case study!

But this week I want to dig a little deeper into how to do this safely and well.

Because charging off the trail – or into the backcountry – uninformed and unprepared is a great way to end up buried under an avalanche. (Where there are neither beers nor waffles.)?

Preparation is power. Skiers and snowboarders don’t just wake up one morning and head up a random mountain instead of standing in lift lines.?

They have to be prepared.?

In fact, they have to be REALLY prepared. Here’s?what they’re advised to do:?

1. Get educated on avalanches and backcountry travel:?Start with a free avalanche awareness class, and then consider taking more formal avalanche courses.
2. Assess your skiing/snowboard skills and fitness level:?Consider a course on backcountry touring and, if needed, work on your ski skills and fitness.
3. Get the right backcountry gear:?Everyone must carry an avalanche transceiver, shovel and probe. If you’re a skier, get geared up with backcountry skis, bindings and boots. If you’re a snowboarder, consider a splitboard.
4. Plan your first backcountry outing:?Get a group together, check the avalanche forecast and use guidebooks, websites and maps to plan your first adventure.

Let’s break those steps down a little further:

Get educated:?Understand what you’re getting yourself into (in this case, possible avalanches) by taking the time for formal training. Note that the advice is not, “Spend an afternoon Googling stuff. Read some articles, watch some videos, listen to a podcast episode or two, and then you should be good to go.” When you’re trying to do something new, your knowledge level needs to line up with the level of risk you’re taking.?

Assess your current state:?Without knowing where you’re starting from, it’s hard to figure out what to work on. Again there’s a recommendation for some formal help – a course on backcountry touring – so you know which ski skills you need to work on. Likewise, your baseline fitness needs to be established?before?you hit the backcountry. There aren’t any lifts, so there’s?a lot?of walking through knee-high snow in bulky gear.?

Gear up appropriately:?I was amazed when I first came to Colorado how comfortable one can be in freezing temperatures if one has decent gear. Fit-for-purpose clothes, as well as safety equipment and tailored skis or a snowboard, needs to be on your shopping list. Otherwise, not only will you be putting your safety at risk, you’re probably going to be utterly miserable the whole time.??

Plan your outing well:?Backcountry skiing or snowboarding is dangerous; you don’t do it alone or on the fly. So getting a group together, researching your planned route, then checking out conditions before you go are all non-negotiable.?

TL;DR = Going off the trail demands a lot of time, attention, and resources if you want to do it safely (and have any chance of enjoying yourself).?

“But Andrea,” I hear you saying, “there aren’t any avalanches in my marketing department. We don’t need to be that prepared!”?

There may not be the risk of actual frostbite when we try to improve our ways of working, but there’s certainly a lot at stake. We spend the majority of our days at our jobs. And if lots of people’s jobs are terrible because of a mis-managed attempt at transformation, it wears on everyone involved.?

Not to mention the potential decline in overall performance when everyone is distracted by trying to dig themselves out of the?snow drift?new piece of MarTech they fell into.?

Preparation is power. Laying a little groundwork and doing a little homework can save us months of frustration and flailing.?

Of course, we don’t need to overdo it. If you’re spending more time laying the groundwork than it would take to finish the transformation, the balance has gotten out of whack.?

Let’s use our backcountry prep to-do’s to help guide us:?

Get educated:?Use formal training to get you and your teams up to speed. Failed change initiatives are draining for employees and damaging for business outcomes, so mitigate those risks with knowledge. And just like future backcountry skiers, you can’t get away with some light Googling or binging one good podcast. Let experts guide you. (I recommend this cool company called AgileSherpas. They’re great.)

Assess your current state:?Skiers who already have good endurance don’t need to spend weeks going on long runs. If your tech stack is already doing its job, don’t spend weeks trying to fix it.?Take a baseline reading?so you can focus your efforts in the right place.?

Gear up appropriately:?Do your people have the skills and resources they need to get stuff done? Rarely is the answer 100% yes to 100% of the stuff. Safety, comfort, and success all demand the right equipment, and for marketers that’s often our brains. Make sure everyone has what they need to blaze new trails with confidence. (Feeling unequipped? These courses are all are scientifically proven to prevent frostbite.)

Plan your outing well:?Where are you going? How will you know you’re veering off track? Is bad weather on the horizon? You might not be able to answer every question before your journey starts, but be on the lookout for signs as you go.

And, just like the backcountry skiers and snowboarders, you should never attempt a major change alone or on the fly (or without easy access to warm waffles).

- Andrea?