I learned a few things from my recent
ocean cliff diving experience in Hawaii.
It’s true … having a near death experience can be quite thought
provoking. Of course, the thinking and
pondering doesn’t happen during the free fall … that’s because my manly screams
are way too loud and I need to focus on the terror of the moment.
Now, I’m sure cliff diving conjures up
the image of a tan, chiseled island dude knifing a swan dive after a few midair
flips. But using cliff diving and Kevin
Monroe in the same sentence … well, uh, that’s not exactly the image that comes
to mind. Probably because I jumped
instead of dove. Although describing
myself as a chiseled, tan guy is pretty much accurate … well, except for the
chiseled and tan part. OK, OK, we’ll
move on. You get the idea.
I remember that beautiful day. There was a clear, blue sky above … and a
clear, blue ocean below. It was a
comfortable 80 degrees outside, which made for a noticeable contrast from the
typical rainy, cloudy Northwest weather that I’ve come to expect from back
home.
But let’s first rewind the clock a
bit. Before my cliff diving and before
my exhausting swim out to the cliffs to do my cliff diving, I was simply minding
my own business. My slightly overweight,
pale-white body was carefree and motionless on my beach towel. It brought me great joy knowing my fleshy
mass would leave an impressive sand-angel crater for all to appreciate when I
arose later that day ... getting people in the Christmas spirit for sure. Yes friends, I found myself content in my
beached-whale-like state. I was the consummate
magazine cover-shot for Tourist Illustrated.
And I was at peace.
That is, until my sister-in-law kicked
me in the ribs to tell me I was going to jump off the rocky cliff bank into the
ocean with her. On purpose. Could she not see that I was busy? By her fifth kick to my already tenderized
ribs, I reluctantly decided I would make the death-defying jump into the abyss
with her. That seemed to be the only way
I could make the kicking stop without going to prison. (I know.
I thought of that too. I’m by the
ocean and if they never find her body … oh, never mind.)
Next thing I
recall, I’m swimming … and swimming … and swimming out to the cliffs. The voice of my sister-in-law continued to
offer encouragement and my inside voice kept trying to convince me that I’m still
an athlete. Finally reaching the base of
the cliff, we stared up at the tiny, human specs that were jumping into the
ocean below. The view looked much more
intimidating than from the comfort of my beach towel.
Somehow, we were able to press on toward
the goal. I was still tired from my
Iron-Man type swim, yet I endured exhaustion, pain, and an epic rock climb to
reach my destiny (see visual aid above).
When I reached the top, my heart was
pounding (most likely from exhaustion and not fear). Of course, being a true gentleman, I allowed my
sister-in-law to jump first … and in an instant, she was gone. I saw her body become smaller and smaller as
she drifted away from me in rapid free-fall toward the Earth … and then,
SPLASH!
Although I now stood atop the mountain
without my sister-in-law, I was not alone.
Joe surfer dude was there with his calm, assuring voice. He smiled and offered the wisdom of NIKE by
saying, “Just do it, bro.”
Well, I did it. I jumped.
I was a hurling mass. Nay, a rocketing
sphere headed toward an impressive and crowd cheering splash-down. (Inserting any Tsunami jokes here would be
inappropriate). Spoiler alert! I lived to tell the story AND I had a renewed
courage. It also occurred to me that I
can achieve goals that may seem impossible … that may be out of my comfort zone
… and I can do it with the help, encouragement, and leadership of others.
STOP!
Consider this as a leader:
· Are you a leader that
encourages others? Do you influence
others toward personal growth and success … are you challenging your team to
stretch, learn, excel, achieve … and do you celebrate with them in their
victories? Do you coach, teach, and
train others? Do you cast a vision of
the goal and express what success looks like?
Do you empower your team to get that success?
· Do you motivate your team to
get off the comfort of their beach towels to accomplish great, challenging, and
rewarding tasks … and are you willing to lead them by example … will you jump
off the cliff with your team when it’s necessary to achieve the goal?
· What kind of leader do you
want to be? Challenge yourself to be a
student of leadership … and grow in those traits that are most effective. Seek to put leadership tools in your leadership
tool belt.
Consider the contrast below
and strive to be the leader your team will follow.
Let's go!
Oh,
and later that day, I eat a double cheeseburger with a fresh, Hawaiian pineapple
slice stuffed in there … but that was a familiar task … and offered no
challenge.
