The summer of my ninth year, I spent several weeks assembling a wooden log raft. I had this wonderful idea that I would lazily drift down the Ohio River. I dragged old logs of different lengths and sizes down the shore along our property, and roped them together. Early one morning I pushed the raft out into the water and scrambled up on it. Though a bit tippy, I shouted for joy as the current started moving me downstream. Huck Finn had nothing on my raft!
About 100 meters downstream my joy evaporated in the July heat. The logs were no longer on the top of the water, but began to sink. And tip. Fifty meters further, my wonderful raft was sitting on the muddy bottom and I was up to my waist in water. I tried to drag the raft out but couldn’t. (That raft is probably still be there today, buried in mud.) I can remember crying a little bit as I waded to shore and hoping no one had witnessed my inglorious “fade to mud”.
In retrospect God did me a huge favor. I didn’t have a paddle, or any way to steer the raft, so if I had been further out in the current I’m not sure I could have gotten the raft back to shore. I didn’t have any water or food. (In 1971, even 9 year old boys did NOT drink water directly from this river.) I really didn’t know what was beyond the bend of the river, and certainly didn’t have any way to avoid the barges and other boats in the river. I had no way to signal anyone.
It was an early lesson in thinking out the next couple of moves.
Nine year old boys are going to get more forgiveness than you will as a leader in your organization. One of your primary responsibilities is thinking about the future!
I ponder this story occasionally when I’m caught in a tough situation that I should have anticipated. We MUST carve out thinking time in our schedules. The more pressure you’re under, the more important it is to think about the future and anticipate possible scenarios.
Mantra: What do I do *after* the raft is on the water?
Happy rafting in your adventure!
I enjoyed your voice in this post, Glenn.
One particular thing you said here got me thinking: “Nine year old boys are going to get more forgiveness than
you will as a leader in your organization. One of your primary responsibilities is thinking about the future!”
The thing is, the nine-year-old you DID think about the future. You imagined it in great detail as you planned and as you did the work necessary to build your raft (as you pointed out in your story). Yet thinking about the future and doing work — didn’t save your raft.
If the problem wasn’t “thinking about the future” or putting in the hard work, what was it? It was that the boy-you acted in autonomy, without seeking any input or counsel from others who had more experience than you had about the subject. You had a grand delusion. You believed you were 100% correct in your thinking, that you were able to pull off a big thing alone — and that you were invincible.
And THAT is where I see many leaders going wrong. Like a nine-year-old, they can become egocentric and autonomous, believing they can do no wrong. They isolate. They make big decisions without inviting anyone else’s input, perspective or help. They imagine the glory of setting sail alone and triumphant on a craft of their making, and theirs alone.
And in so doing, many a “raft” sinks to the mud in ignominy.
Outstanding insight, Erik, thank you! I really appreciate your comments here and they crystallized some messy thinking I have into a nice concrete message for others I’m coaching. I’m going to steal your phrase “boy-acting in autonomy” — that’s gold.
If it helps more people be better people — steal away, sir!
This is such a great post, Glenn. Love your story, but sorry about the raft…