Sink or Swim Leadership

Each year, a few hearty athletes test their prowess in the shark infested, frigid waters of San Francisco bay to participate in the Golden Gate Bridge swim. Beginning at Ft. Point, the challenge extends 1.5 miles directly underneath the bridge where the mighty Pacific meets the swirling currents of the bay, and ends at Ft. Baker. Swimmers say it?s terrifying, treacherous and thrilling. One fortuitous Sunday morning, riding my bike across the bridge, I witnessed this spectacle first hand, and wound up seeing far more than just a race.

From 220 ft. above the waves, everything took on a new perspective. Swimmers became miniscule players in a much larger drama. I had a ringside seat, not on an athletic challenge, but on the game of life itself - specifically, on lessons in leadership. Clusters of swimmers were lead by coaches in guide boats. It became obvious that although the athletes were competing in basically identical circumstances, their success or failure depended in large measure on the leadership style of their coach.

The first casualties were individual athletes who broke away from the pack. Perhaps they were trying to grab the lead, perhaps they simply couldn?t keep up. Separated from their guide boat, they were soon caught in powerful currents and literally swept out to sea. The harder they fought, the weaker they grew, until eventually the coast guard came to the rescue. All who managed to stay with their teammates finished the race.

Quickly, the two lead boats caught my attention, as I watched each coach employ his own personal style of leadership. Coach #1 manned a large rowboat. He stayed on the ocean side of the swimming channel, forcing the choppy waves to break against his hull before they reached his swimmers, thus helping to conserve their strength. Coach #2 captained a sexy, sleek power boat which crossed back and forth from the ocean side to the bay side in sweeping arcs around his swimmers, while he shouted words of encouragement through a megaphone. Initially, I thought to myself ? now there?s a powerhouse. I?ll bet they?re glad they?re with him. Soon, however, I changed my mind.

Swimmers following the powerboat had to exert extra energy to plow through his powerful wake, eventually exhausting themselves in the process, and falling further and further behind. Rather than providing leadership, their coach supplied showmanship ? impressive from afar, but killer for those on the team. Immediately I flashed on a former boss who had operated in much the same way. In the wake of his powerful ego, employees became sidetracked executing projects, errands or orders to satisfy his need for validation and visibility. His demands diverted focus from our projects, forcing deadlines to fall further and further behind, much like the swimmers before my eyes.

How different the leader in the humble rowboat. He rowed alongside, not in front of his charges. As Lao-Tzu reminds us, "To lead people, walk beside them." Yes, he held an elevated position, in the secure and sound boat. This position allowed him an extended range of vision, enabling him to spot trouble in advance (sharks, schools of stinging jellyfish) and alert his team. Yes, he had specialized tools (in his case oars) but he worked as hard as his team, taking the brunt of the ocean?s wrath for them, and they knew it.

Tied to a cleat on the back of the boat was a rope attached to a life preserver. One of his swimmers became exhausted, and the coach tossed him the ring. The swimmer hung on for perhaps 30 seconds, regained his stamina, released the ring, and the coach hauled it back in.

No, this leader couldn?t let his swimmers cling to the boat, or none of them would finish. Instead he worked alongside, supporting temporarily as needed, and cutting them lose when they regained their strength. I watched, mesmerized.

This little rowboat and his mighty team finished ahead of everyone else. Slowly, steadily, like Aesop?s Fable, they won the race. Gazing down from my aerie perch, I realized how simple solutions become clear when viewed from a birds eye perspective.

What a profound lesson in leadership I was privileged to witness that day ? so timely for today?s new workplace. In a world where top down leadership is replaced by horizontal networks, where information arrives in DSL time or better, we look to leaders for direction, not answers. According to Fast Company, tomorrow?s leaders will be coaches and facilitators. My rowboat hero is right on track.

Warren Bennis, in his book On Becoming a Leader, claims most leadership courses focus on skills, and wind up produce managers rather than leaders. You can teach skills, says Bennis, but you can?t teach vision. Leadership is first about being, then it?s about doing. My guess is the guy in the rowboat leads his family or those at the office like he does his swimmers? quietly, consistently, by example ? providing the training and tools they?ll need to survive, then supporting from the sidelines, allowing them to shine.

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About Ann Mahony
Speaker and author Ann Mahony addresses audiences nationwide on how to Lead From Your Strengths and Stay Connected in today's downsized, fast forward world.  Featured on ABC, NBC, CBS and CNN, she is the author of Handwriting & Personality...

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