Whitewater Leadership

In the spring of 2023, the western US experienced one of the highest spring run-offs in a generation. During this season, my son invited some friends and family on a one-day whitewater rafting trip on the Green River through Split Mountain Canyon. My son is a capable guide and several family members on the trip were also experienced guides. But none of us had floated that section of river before, especially at 8 times the usual water levels!

"The Safety Talk"

That morning, before we put in, as we dawned our wetsuits, drysuits, paddle jackets, and life jackets; my son shared with the group what’s known as “the safety talk”. The safety talk is usually delivered by the lead guide of a trip. The guide provides some basic principles of whitewater rafting including how and when to paddle, and what to do if you’re ever swept out of the boat or trapped under a raft. Most of us had heard or given that same speech many times over. But he stuck to his training and engaged our group in the conversation anyway.

Running Moonshine

Within the hour, we were approaching "Moonshine" the first and largest rapid of the day. Wisely, we pulled off the river and walked downstream to scout the rapid from the shore. Once we had a good sense of which line to take, we piled back into our two boats and started paddling toward the first big wave.

As our boat crashed over the wave, my son instinctively tried to point the raft into the next wave, which had a strong lateral current from the right. Unfortunately, he couldn’t get us turned fast enough and the lateral wave hit us hard. The current lifted the boat completely onto its left side, launching everyone (except one lone paddler) out of the boat and into the churning brown water. Miraculously, the boat didn’t flip. The one paddler in the boat quickly scrambled to help the other rafters, including me and my son, back into the boat. As we continued down the wave train we worked frantically to find and pull in each of the other passengers, two of whom had been momentarily stuck under the raft.

Luckily no one was seriously injured, and the only casualty we suffered was a lost paddle.

Lessons from River Guides

After reflecting on that episode, I thought of how our little crew was a lot like an organization paddling through the ebbs, flows, and rapids of business. There are at least three lessons leaders could consider from this story:

• First, Drill the Basics! Strong leaders know they can’t anticipate every possible situation, nor can they be everywhere at once. So, rather than try to micro-manage, they instill strong guiding principles (heuristics) that are broadly applicable. Like a jazz ensemble, knowing a few basic rules ultimately allows them to improvise in the moment.? As jazz great Wynton Marsalis has said: “In jazz, improvisation isn’t a matter of just making any ol’ thing up. Jazz, like language, has its own grammar and vocabulary.” ?I’m glad my son gave us the safety talk that morning. We later discovered that one of the rafters who had been under the boat had never been rafting before. It may have saved her life.
• Second, Plan! Then Change Your Plan... Like guides scouting the rapids, it’s essential to have a plan before leaping in. But, even when you’ve taken the time to plan and you think you know what’s coming, don’t be surprised when things go sideways. Learn to move on and adapt quickly! Guides call this process of constant adaptation: "Read and Run."
• Finally, Never Take the River for Granted! One of the greatest lessons I’ve learned from experienced guides is to NEVER take a river for granted. Rivers are constantly changing. Experience gives a guide two advantages: 1) greater skill and confidence; and 2) less arrogance. I’ve heard it said that eventually, there are no cocky guides... Perhaps the same holds true for effective leaders. The greatest leaders I know are those who find the sweet spot of confidence without arrogance, and humility without insecurity.

When a leader can drive a few, strong guiding principles, have a good plan from which to deviate, and the confidence to move forward with courage and humility, never assuming they know everything; the result is a highly resilient and innovative group that can stay afloat through almost any turbulence!

Stu Larson is an Executive Coach and the President of Ferron Creek, LLC a Leadership and Organizational Development Consultancy based in Salt Lake City, Utah. He and his family have been whitewater enthusiasts for many years and have learned many lessons from rivers! For more information about Stu or Ferron Creek, visit ferroncreek.com.