Take it from a Salmon

We went white water rafting on the Ocoee River over the Labor Day weekend. What a rush! Diving into those rapids in that rubber boat was like riding a roller coaster for an hour and a half.

It struck me as we were making our way down the river (during one of the calm transitions of course) how much it was like the workplace: Everything seems so much better when you’re working together, paddling in rhythm, taking cues from the guide as he shouted instructions above the din of the rushing water. And like the workplace, these elements were the foundation for our success.

Our guide, Salmon (interesting that we were going downstream, huh?), was like the company CEO. He was confident, articulate and unquestionably in charge. Before we got started on our adventure, Salmon addressed the group and basically laid out our “company’s” mission (to get safely to the end), strategy (to stay down the middle), and tactics (paddle together in rhythm). He laid out his communication strategy (commands he would bark out throughout the trip), and his expectations of performance (that we would all be capable of following his simple instructions).

So we had a clear understanding of our leader’s direction, and we were motivated to implement his vision. Like many workplaces all that went to hell in a handbag once the action started, but we were periodically reined in when we lost our way. The two paddlers in the very front of the raft are tasked with staying in rhythm so that those directly behind them can just follow that person’s paddle stroke. But there were times when the two lead paddlers were out of sync. So guess what? Yep, the whole team was out of sync. Oftentimes it works that way doesn’t it? A team leader gets off task and next thing you know the whole team is in disarray, working on something that is only vaguely related to the original project.

Fortunately, Salmon was quick and even-handed with his admonition that we stay in rhythm. Likewise he was liberal with praise throughout when we were in sync (which I’m proud to say was most of the time). It was the workplace in a microcosm – and very well run. And like a very well-run company where the expectations are clear, the boss communicates well, and everyone works as a team, we had a great time!

Isn’t that the ideal? To create a workplace where leadership is obvious, goals are clearly communicated, and motivation follows? Like the paddlers in our raft, everyone has a responsibility for the success of the group, and it certainly helps when your leader inspires the kind of confidence Salmon instilled in us.

Do your part to contribute to a great workplace culture: Be a team player, communicate well both horizontally and vertically, and have some fun while you’re at it. Life’s too short and we spend too much time at work for it to suck. The cool part is that when these all come together, productivity soars too!