Swimming With Sharks: Lessons Learned

I had a milestone birthday recently (which I am very proud of). In celebration, I signed up with my local dive shop here in Puerto Morelos, Mexico for a small group diving adventure in Banco Chinchorro, a pristine, protected atoll reef near the coast of Belize.

It was an hour-long boat ride just to reach our dive spot. I rolled into the water and, as I always do, took a look around to check out the depth and terrain. That’s when I noticed: “Yikes! There are a lot of sharks swimming down there!”

It was not a temporary thing. For three dives a day over the next three days, the sharks were always with us. Bull sharks, reef sharks, blacktip sharks, and friendly (for a shark) nurse sharks.

The reef was breathtaking. And at 95 feet down, the ocean is an entirely different world.

But initially, the sharks made the experience terrifying. Still, that was our environment; we had to learn how to swim in it.

Over the next few days, I began thinking how the start of a new year feels very much the same: equal parts thrilling and daunting. This year, especially, is sure to be filled with uncertainty and unknowns.

So, what can swimming with sharks teach nonprofit leaders about thriving in 2025? Here are my seven lessons…

#1. Respect the environment.

The ocean is the sharks’ domain. To stay safe, I had to respect their world, their rhythm, and their rules.

For nonprofit leaders, our ocean can be thought of as our mission and the communities we serve. Our success comes from listening, observing, and adapting to the needs of those around us, whether that’s our staff, communities, board, or other stakeholders.

We must continually seek to understand the rhythm of the community and organizations we work with. Then, we can align our leadership with their natural flow.

As with sharks, if we instead start splashing around and moving aggressively, they will attack.

#2. Manage your fear.

The first time I saw a 10-foot bull shark come toward me, I was paralyzed. But when I remembered to keep breathing and slow down, it lost interest and swam in the other direction.

As leaders, we are likewise not served if we become paralyzed due to tight budgets, high stakes, constant turnover, or anything else we encounter. Still, the fear is normal.

When it arises, acknowledge it, examine it, and ask yourself: What is this fear trying to teach me? How can I transform this fear into courage, even opportunity? When you do that, and while the fear may persist, you take away its power.

#3. Focus on the big picture.

It’s easy to fixate on the nearest shark. But if I did that, I would miss out on the enormous schools of beautiful fish and the sheer majesty of the world’s second-largest coral reef — the reasons I was down there to begin with.

As leaders, the urgent can start to overshadow the important work we are doing. We need to remember to keep our eyes on our mission, strategy, and long-term vision. Retaining that clear perspective keeps us grounded and focused on what really matters.

#4. Swim with the current.

Sharks glide effortlessly with the current. They don’t waste energy fighting forces they can’t change.

Many leaders, however, have a bias toward control — of outcomes, people, processes, procedures, and more.

If, instead, we learn to delegate, collaborate, and use the “current” to our advantage, we can avoid unnecessarily expending energy in areas that don’t work for us and redirect our focus in ways that better serve ourselves and our organization.

#5. Courage doesn’t mean recklessness.

Courage is about being mindful and intentional; we were instructed to respect the sharks’ space.

Likewise, leadership means making bold decisions — not reckless ones. We need to be courageous but within the context of careful planning and measured risk.

In practice, that means embracing innovation while staying grounded in our values and taking time to assess the potential impact — good and bad — of considered actions.

#6. Every shark is different.

There were four types of sharks in the water with us — each with its own behavior, size, and energy. Safe navigation required recognizing and respecting those differences.

Your team, board members, and partners are as diverse as my shark friends were.

Approaching them all in the same way is a missed opportunity to maximize your preferred outcomes. For each person you encounter, seek to understand what motivates them, what frightens them, and how your organization can meet them where they are to bring out their best.

Make it your goal to lead with empathy and a personalized approach.

#7. Trust the experts; trust yourself.

Each dive included two guides — one in front, one in the rear, seven of us in the middle. We relied on them to keep us safe.

But the ocean is a big place and the guides can get far away at times.

So we also knew we had to trust our own instincts. As leaders, we likewise have guides: mentors, coaches, advisory boards, hired experts, and others. But don’t forget to trust your own experience and intuition as you move into 2025.

Make it a goal to build confidence in your own leadership abilities.

Swim With Conviction

Like diving with sharks, leading in the nonprofit world is vast, unpredictable and, often, breathtakingly beautiful.

If we can respect the environment, manage our fears, and trust the process and ourselves, we can learn to lead with clarity and purpose. Let this be a year in which you swim with confidence, courage, and intention!

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Workwonder is a supercharger for leadership empowerment and growth. Karen partners with some of the world’s most prolific nonprofit changemakers to do their best, most impactful work through bespoke strategic planning, innovative fundraising strategy, and holistic leadership coaching. Learn more, here.