Link: http://servicewow.org/b2evolution/blogs/blog1.php/2010/02/23/krusing-with-a-k#feedbacks
Imagine you're in the very front of the raft, helmet gleaming in the sun, life jacket cinched so tight you can hardly breathe. You hear the roaring sound of an approaching train and realize you are miles away from any tracks. Suddenly your front row seat seems less than preferable and carrying the raft for awhile would be a good stretch of the legs, but it is too late. Barn size haystacks explode out of the river, the boat in front of you disappears amid terrified screams; every cell in your body wants to push away, go around, back paddle. Above the deafening roar of impending doom you here GO, GO, GO, PADDLE HARD, PULL, PULL.....YAHOO!!! Moments later your life has changed forever; you have beaten death and forged lifelong bonds with people who had been only strangers hours before. This story could be about the incredible whitewater rafting here in Idaho, or legendary guide Barry Kruse, whose clear rapid-fire direction and energizing fun defined a style of Level V (really, really scary) whitewater leadership.
This is not about our rivers or our people, but about the kind of turbulent waters we are all experiencing right now. Daily we hear torrents of tragedy at every turn while images of drowning dreams and overturned expectations flood the airways. Millions scramble for the security of some stable shoreline or calm eddy in which to rest. But what of those who paddle through, who pull hard, who do not fight against but instead pull through their fear. Warren Buffet is famous for saying "be cautious when others are confident and confident when others are cautious".* (The richest man in the world - $62 billion and counting.)
What about Southwest Airlines, who did not fight against the current of union membership (they have a higher percentage of union members than any other airline). Instead they pulled together announcing a $116 Million profit in 2009 while the Airline industry as a whole posted a loss of more than $11 Billion, the worst loss since World War II. You could argue there are many other reasons for the combined success of these two giants. You would be right and you would miss the point entirely. (Think about the number of people you know who are absolutely right and thoroughly unhappy because of it. Does it seem like such a good trade?) This is the time to strap on your helmet and paddle like crazy. Any amateur rafter will tell you we don't get sucked under by water; we get sucked under by fear. The greatest antidote to fear is fun. The chemistries of excitement and fear are identical; it is only the story we tell ourselves about them that makes the difference. Be like Barry Kruse - make your message so compelling, so forceful and so fun that the sirens of discontent will whisper in disbelief as you leave them behind.
*Not exactly the way Warren said it, but I like mine better.
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