What a Ropes Course Can Teach You About Leadership
Editor’s note: Leadership development is a priority for most talent development teams. We loved this post, originally published on Tewedaj’s LinkedIn feed, about the leadership lessons to be learned from a basic ropes course.
First things first: I am scared of ropes and I’m even more scared of heights. And I was not anticipating that our team offsite would confront all my trust issues in one exercise.
But in my Safaricom Ethiopia team’s quest to become the best external affairs and regulatory team on the continent, we headed to an offsite at Kuriftu-Entoto in Addis Ababa that finished up with a ropes course.
After the serious business of the day was completed, we went to the ropes course to face not one but two of my greatest fears.
The outcome? I learned a ton of leadership lessons from my line manager Matthew Harrison-Harvey, from my team members, and from myself. Hanging on for dear life with just one rope, trying to make it to the other side, focusing all of my energy on the task at hand, I didn’t know how much I was observing until I hit the ground.
Here are the eight lessons I observed on that memorable day:
1. Lead by example
If your team is not sure about doing something, show them by doing it first. There is a certain kind of courage that gets imparted from seeing team leaders do something that the team is not sure how to do. There was no hesitation from Matthew to go first on the ropes course.
I wouldn’t have had the courage to do it first as I had never had an experience of this sort. But seeing a few others ahead of me gave me the courage and got me thinking, “If they do it, ain’t nothing stopping me from trying!”
2. Know your team’s strength and build on that
Not all of us went on the ropes course, for different reasons. At the starting line, while the rope climbers and the cheerleaders took their respective places, I heard Matthew say, “T will definitely do it.”
That gave me courage, that I was perceived to be strong enough. For those who were not feeling very athletic to go on the ropes course, Matthew said, “Now be the best cheerleaders you can.” In all honesty, if they had not been there encouraging us on, there were moments I would have decided, “I am done! Take me down!”
3. Pass on knowledge to the people who come after you
My colleague who was just in front of me always looked back once he finished one section and yelled, “T, do this!” sharing techniques that he had used and that had made it easier for him. “Lift your left foot first. Focus on the next rope. Let that one go and jump. Don’t look down.” He shared all that in the interest of seeing everyone to the finish line.
I took these learnings and found myself sharing what I heard and tried to coach the person who came after me.
4. Always look forward! Only look back if you need to find strength from it
The ropes course had several sections. Completing one section is different from completing another, and each section requires different muscles working in different ways.
Once a section is completed, there is a platform to stand on. Looking back, I kept saying, “Wow! Did I just do that?!” But looking back while trying to muster energy to take the next step forward is a recipe for disaster. It can make you lose the strength you need, miss a step, slide away, and incur unnecessary strain on the muscles. Only look back when you are done — and when you do, make sure it is to learn and reflect.
5. If you can’t do it and others can, let them shine
Sometimes, it’s OK to be on the sidelines to cheer on your team. This, I guarantee, will endear you to colleagues who will then cheer you on when it is your moment to shine.
I had teammates who were on the ground easing the tension with jokes, calming us when it got scary, clapping when we finished, and — of course — taking photos. It was from a genuine interest to see us deliver what we set out to do.
6. Focus!
One of the key things I kept asking myself was, “What I am most proud of by completing this task?”
It was the focus and clarity I had. When the challenge presented itself, I wasn’t looking at anything else but the end goal. I focused on the deliverable, muting the noise around me. I pushed harder every time I rethought, “I am not going to drop out. I am stronger than I think. I want to finish what I started.”
7. Do it even when you are scared
Not everyone who went on the ropes course was sure of themselves. Some screamed, some almost dropped out, and some were uncertain at times about what the next step would be — and maybe not even sure about why we had started it.
We may not feel equipped enough to perform the task. I know I wondered, “Will my hands carry my body up?” There were moments of weakness that echoed in my head: “Why did you even start this? You could have just sat down, cheered your team, and saved yourself the trouble.”
But I kept on doing it even when I was scared and that made me realize that I had much more strength, will power, and rigor than I ever expected. I was a different person at the end of the course than the one I was at the start.
8. Be at the finish line to celebrate your team
There is no bigger reward than having a line manager encouraging you through the process or, better yet, having them at the finish line to hail you: “You did it! I am proud of your achievements.”
Others may be there, but the compliment hits differently when it comes from the person whose approval we silently seek. So, if you are leading a team, be the first line of encouragement and celebration of success.
Final thoughts: There’s a lot of great learning that can’t be found in a book
Who knew a silly ropes course would unpack all these leadership lessons.
Wait, did I just call 45 minutes of an exercise that tested body, mind, and spirit silly?
