After years of learning to surf, I've discovered powerful leadership lessons that apply far beyond the ocean. Today's lesson is simple but profound: you're not going to think your way into a wave.
You can learn all the theory about how to catch waves and practice your pop-up from the shore. But ultimately, you have to just get in the water and sense and respond. And we only truly do this when we embrace complexity and unpredictability - rather than fear it and resist it. We have to learn iteratively and incrementally. And yes, that means learning through failure.
Ultimately, this lesson is about embodied awareness and embodied action. This is inspired by Amanda Blake’s book Your Body Is Your Brain. She defines embodiment as our extraordinary ability to put complex actions and interactions on autopilot, so that “what comes next” or “how to respond” become second nature.
Too often, we think of leadership as something that happens from the neck up. We approach it as a purely intellectual exercise of strategizing, planning, and executing. This disconnection from our full-body intelligence reduces our awareness and understanding, often leading us to react rather than respond.
Let me share two contrasting scenarios from my surfing experience:
Scenario 1 - The Reactive Surfer:
In the ocean over thirty minutes without catching a wave. Frustration builds. Comparison with other surfers intensifies.
Now "in my head," I can't feel the wave's energy or sense the right timing. I either give up or exhaust myself paddling frantically for every wave, learning nothing because I am not sensing and responding. I'm I'm stuck in judgment and spinning stories.
Scenario 2 - The Creative Leader:
Same situation, different approach because I start to notice this pattern in myself over time. I "catch" the frustration sooner and shift to presence and curiosity. Each wave becomes an experiment. Miss a wave? That's information about its energy. Wipe out? More data about timing and positioning.
I am also just appreciating how incredible it is to be out in this beautiful ocean looking back at the palm trees.
Like the ocean, business environments constantly change. Through expanding our awareness and taking an experimental approach, patterns can emerge as intuitive wisdom. And this enables us to make micro-adjustments in real time. It also allows us to find the joy and beauty in the process.
The Key Insight: Our state of "being" will always informs our "doing."
And that creates an impact - on ourselves, in our relationships with others, and in larger systems. These are the energetic ripples. I have little chance of catching a wave if I am not present, aware, sensing.
How might reactivity show up in our work? Energy is contagious. These ripples of reactivity are likely flowing through our teams and organizations. A few examples::
- How much gossip or complaining do you hear?
- What policies, processes, and structures put people in competition with each other and create scarcity?
- How much energy goes into "looking good" or "being right" versus real learning?
Most of us spend too much time in our heads (ruminating about the past or worrying about the future), missing the magic of embodied awareness - the ability to sense what's actually happening and respond with ease and confidence.
Want to experience this transformation firsthand? Join me at Agile Leadership Surf Camp in Costa Rica, where we use learning to surf as a tool to more deeply embody agility and grow our leadership skills.
And if Surf Camp isn't your thing but you do want to apply these concepts to help your leaders and teams be more adaptive, innovative, and resilient, contact me here. We can set up a call to get to know each other and discuss possible next steps in your journey.