Volcanic Leadership

Did you know that there are 1,500 active volcanoes in the world, and less than a dozen of them have people living near them? A lot can be learned from the natural world around us, and I want to share one lesson that I have learned as I worked on my own growth from a manager to a leader, and from a player to a coach. 

I have come to realize that the key to the success of your function or enterprise have more to do with the desire of the people on your team to “push” you – and hence your team and company – to succeed. This is in contrast to one’s ability to magically “pull” the team to nirvana, like some mythical “let-me-show-you-the-way” Pied Piper. That is the crux of this reflection, which is based on a personal experience that I’d like to share… 

In 2003 my family and I were driving around the base of the Arenal Volcano in Costa Rica, which is active, and sputters and roars almost daily. It’s visited by thousands of people from all across the world, with lush, rich and green areas surrounding it. The soil is deep and fertile. There are fields of pineapple and bananas, and the jungles are full of exotic flora and fauna. Villages are peppered all around the Arenal region, and hot water springs dot the landscape, several with medicinal and therapeutic powers. 

That evening we could see small rivulets of orange lava making their way down the top of the mountain, with gases steaming against the setting sun; lava and ash, which replenish the earth and soil and create life around the mountain. 

I remember thinking to myself, “What a giving giant this is.” A giant that enjoys the awe and healthy fear of the world around it, yet is approachable. The energy inside it is so powerful that it could wreak havoc, like many of its fellow volcanoes in the Ring of Fire. But Arenal chooses to leverage and unleash this power in harmony with its surroundings. It releases its energy in manageable ways so it’s a constant source of “giving” to the world around it. 

“Wicked cool!” is what I was thinking. Some “leadership lesson light bulbs” began to flicker in my head (or “LLLBs,” as I call them). 

Fast forward to 2008, and this time the visit was to Pompeii, at the base of the notorious Mount Vesuvius in Italy. Massive, barren, standing alone, isolated, feared, and even loathed. I remember thinking, “What a destructive and feared beast you have been!” Nothing grows around Mount Vesuvius, and no one wants to live near it or watch it erupt again. It keeps its power and energy and force pent up, until it cannot be contained or channeled. 

And suddenly, in a moment of revelation, all the LLLBs began blinking at full wattage! Ciao Senore Vesuvius! Hola Senor Arenal! 

From a leadership perspective, it’s Arenal that I hope to emulate. I aim to be the kind of leader that allows the energy, power, awe and creativity of his team to rise beyond his own ability, in beautiful and useful displays of everyday magic and success. Displays that people expect, look forward to, applaud and appreciate. 

Energy, much like the lava and the ash of awesome Arenal, makes the whole ecosystem around it better. Energy pushes your mind and lets creativity flow for positive benefits to the organization. My LLLB was that a leader needs to create dissent and debate, and allow oneself to be pushed aside once in a while. As an “Arenal leader,” your ego may get bruised, and you may get singed on occasion, but leadership is a lonely task, and not for the weak at heart. 

In my view, when you demonstrate Arenal leadership, you have the privilege of watching your team display magic every day. Be defined by the energy you allow to emerge and erupt, not the force you control and suppress. It’s a lesson in volcanic leadership that I strive in today’s molten environment.