The courage it takes to choose joy

Last week, my family went backpacking in the beautiful Oregon backcountry with another neighboring family.

Oregon’s wild forests are absolutely stunning. On our second day, we walked past a waterfall named Trestle Falls. The hiking trail led behind the waterfall, which was awe-inspiring for the entire hiking party - especially the children.

The sun was scorching, and it was hot outside. Everyone could easily imagine how joyfully refreshing it would be to immerse ourselves in the cold water falling down from the mountain. Oh what joy it would be.

And this reminded me of how much courage it takes to choose joy.

I wanted to go in the waterfall, but I had anxious thoughts: I would have to take off at least some of my layers of clothing, exposing myself without the socially accepted armor to every stranger who might pass by. The water temperature was freezingly cold. It would be shocking at first, and the spray drifting around the waterfall cooling down my body temperature was a strong reminder of that fact. It would be cold.

It would take courage to go, letting the body adjust to the new experience, and then enjoy the cool water on the skin. And would it be enjoyable after all? Or would it just be difficult to get in? Would we linger and miss out on other opportunities?

Well, we found out. I was very grateful, when one of our crew members stepped up and took the lead. She bravely stepped into the cold pool water the falls were falling into, and took determined steps through the spray. Cheers of joy accompanying her - from herself and everyone else observing.

Two minutes later, everyone was showering in the pool. And it was marvelous: Four young children and four adults squealing with delight.

Joy is the fuel for a creative process that every innovation needs.

And it takes courage to step into joy, to create something new: whether it is a blissful experience, a new product idea, a new way to think about an existing product or an idea to get into a different market. It takes someone to take the lead, and break out of the sense of safety.

It is obvious that people are more likely to speak up, if they trust the group. A shortcut for getting new ideas and directions into an organization is a strictly hierarchical structure: The boss is always safe, because they can enforce the behavior they want. This is not a bad thing, in fact, it can speed up what the group can achieve.

But it puts limits on how much innovation is actually possible. Autocratically organized companies often have trouble adjusting to new market trends. Oracle is an interesting example, with a very successful and very hierarchically operating leader, Larry Ellison, for decades. But during the industry’s transition to cloud computing, Oracle lost plenty of opportunities for new growth to emerging market competitors. It took them a decade and some changes in the executive organization to adapt. It worked, and it probably helped that the owner and the CEO were the same person, such that the trust between the two of them never eroded.

I work with leaders of companies that went through ownership transitions, usually private equity acquisitions. These leaders’ companies have entered a state of increased ambiguity and are facing questions such as: Do I want to do all the new direction setting by myself? Do I still feel the courage or motivation to guide everyone? Will the new owners trust me - even if results are not immediate?

Or do I want to invest in a team that is capable of everything, a team in which everyone can and is expected to take responsibility? Should this team include just the Ops team, or possibly the entire company? How can I keep my legacy, and keep alive what I created in the past?

I believe it is never too late to start empowering others, coaching them, sharing your own knowledge and wisdom, and leading them to become courageous leaders themselves. It is an obvious way to increase the value of the wages the company pays for the team anyway. It is the path where employees are expected to participate joyously, not just be there because it is their job. It is the most rewarding path, and it takes courage to create it.

No matter if you still want to set the direction yourself, or empower your team - the continuous storytelling worksheet I created is a great tool to create alignment under ambiguous circumstances. And it can be extended to include more team members which makes it a great start for the process of coaching courageous leadership inside your organization.

Reply to this email, and I’ll send you the worksheet.

With care,

Martin