Crew versus Kayaking

The world around in which we live is in a constant state of flux. Dr. Stephen Covey calls this state “permanent whitewater”. This truly provides a wonderfully illustrative metaphor. Most of us have seen either a real crew rowing competition or a competition portrayed in a movie or a television show. We can visualize in our minds eye five or more individuals, facing backward, rowing, in unison, to the steady beat of the coxswain shouting “Row, row, row…” A crew event is performed in a lake with relatively placid waters. Contrast this with another type of competition: two- person kayaking. Each sport involves water, and boat, and some means of locomotion. Those are, in fact, the only similarities. The crew competition harnesses the power of the group responding to one voice. Kayaking successfully involves making split second decisions without verbal communication between the two participants.

Imagine what would occur if a crew team attempted to traverse a course laid out for kayaking. The results would range from comical to tragic. Remember, on a crew team, only one individual, the coxswain, can actually see the final destination. Everyone else in the boat is facing where they have been and not where they intend to go. If the coxswain is incorrect or misjudges the finish line, the team is doomed to failure even in ideal conditions. This is much like the business failures seen today. Many companies still operate using a “command and control” model (CNC) where the employees within an organization still simply follow the vision and cadence of a few leaders. Ideal and calm waters simply do not exist in today’s business world. Change occurs constantly. Successfully navigating the demands of today’s global marketplace requires every employee within an organization to be able to make split second decisions. How is this possible? In an organization that is still bogged down by the use of CNC leadership, it isn’t. In kayaking, all teammates are keenly aware of where the end goal is located. They are situated within the boat so that they can see the rapids, currents, and eddies which lay between them and the finish line. It is the same for successful and dynamic organizations. Each stakeholder is made aware of the organization’s primary goals, as well as the measures which will identify success. In the most successful organizations, the stakeholders have helped to craft the goals and measures. Furthermore, the leadership team provides regular updates on external or market conditions. Stakeholders are encouraged to acquire knowledge and understanding through research and education. Each stakeholder is able to see the finish line, as well as the obstacles which stand between the organization’s current position and their established targets.

A CNC company will, quite frankly, be too slow to identify and react to the changing waters of the global marketplace. Many times, it is entirely possible that the few who understand the organizational goals will misjudge the finish line or misread the challenges which the company faces. Even if the leadership team is flawless, the organization will still be too slow to react. In the time it takes to identify a threat, develop a course of action, and communicate all this information to everyone else, the challenge will have changed shape, thus rendering any devised solutions completely obsolete. Conversely, organizations which utilize the “kayaking” model will be able to identify threats and react in time to turn the challenge into a strategic advantage. In fact, many of the best solutions will likely come from the front line stakeholders that identify a shift in market conditions and adapt to it. This “bottom up” approach can only occur if all stakeholders are involved and empowered. In the modern business environment, where change occurs constantly, organizations which desire to be successful, must share its vision with all stakeholders and empower them to make a difference.

Nexus of Success and Significance

How does one achieve excellence? How does an organization operate at peak performance? The answer to these interrogatories is often simple in theory, but difficult in practice. Often, many individuals and organizations set out on a journey which they hope will culminate in excellence. Unfortunately, they become lost before they arrive at their chosen destination.

Individual success is nothing more than discovering what contributions one is capable of and then fervently pursuing them. Organizational success begins at the same place but its end is a much farther destination. There are three components which must come together in order for an individual or organization to achieve success and sustain it. Asking one’ self three questions and answering them honestly will lay the foundation for sustained success. First, what talents and unique gifts do I have to offer others? In other words, what am I good at? Second, what am I passionate about? Third, what needs exist in the marketplace? It is at the intersection of these three answers that an individual or organization can find its contribution. This nexus can lead an individual or organization beyond success. It can lead them to significance. Any single part, no matter how compelling, is insufficient to drive sustainable success.

Allow me to share an example. Perhaps, I am very good at sales. I am well-spoken, possess a smooth delivery, and have an innate ability to understand the needs, ants and motivations of others. With these qualities, a career in sales would likely be fruitful, profitable, and productive. However, suppose that I am either shy by nature or I simply do not like to work at the same job for very long. Or, perhaps, I choose, as my profession, to sell umbrellas in the middle of the desert. I may possess, in abundance, the talent and skills to be a wildly successful salesman. However, if there is no market (selling umbrellas in a desert) or I do not enjoy sales (shy), then this career choice is unsustainable. Similar examples can be seen with respect to the other questions.

It takes courage to act once an individual has found an opportunity that is located at the nexus of success and significance.

What is PEAK Performance?

PEAK Performance is an easy to remember acronym meaning performance which is Professional Excellent Appropriate and Knowledgeable. In order to truly get to the heart of PEAK performance, let us examine the meaning of each of these words, as well as examples, and how they can personally effect our lives.

Professional is defined as "done by a professional or expert; distinguished from an amateur". As an individual works to develop professionalism in his life, he seeks to perform his duties in a manner befitting someone that is an expert at the top of his game. One who considers herself a professional is one who performs well consistently, over and over again.

Excellence is derived from the word excel. The greatest definition of excellence, which I have ever found, comes not from a dictionary, but from the ancient philospher Aristotle (384 BC-322 BC). Though delivered almost 2400 years ago, the words ring more true today: "Excellence is an art won by training and habituation. We do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence, but we rather have those because we have acted rightly. We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit." Those who strive for excellence make it a part of their daily lives. Whatever their endeavor (i.e., business, family, hobbies, church, etc.), they perform to the best of their abilities. Their motto is Good Enough Seldom Is!

Appropriate stems from the need to match one's efforts to the various situations encountered. Would one wear a three-piece suit, complete with wing tips, to help construct a home as part of the Habitat for Humanity program? Appropriate is not to be used as a means of working less. It compels the individual to work smarter. By acting in a manner which is appropriate to a situation, the individual gains creditability from those with whom he works or serves.

Knowledgeable involves far more than simply memorizing facts or figures. While becoming knowledgeable most certainly involves substantial quantities of information, it also connotes the possession of an understanding of how these facts and figures can be applied to any given situation. Personal and professional application is the ultimate expression of true knowledge. To know and not to do is really not to know. As self-help guru Tony Robbins (1960-present) stated: "You see, in life, lots of people know what to do, but few people actually do what they know. Knowing is not enough!"

From the above defiitions, hopefully you can begin to gain a sense of how powerful these attributes can be when joined together. This blog will seek to provide its readers with information, as well as ways to apply this newly acquired knowledge. By using the information contained herein, true professionalism through is excellence is obtainable.