Dear Friends,
Here is an interesting account on two types
of leadership styles in identical circumstances!
Mastering v/s mystery of Motu River
By
good fortune, I was able to raft down the Motu River in New Zealand twice
during the last year. The magnificent four-day journey traverses one of the
last wilderness areas in the North Island.
The
first expedition was led by "Buzz", an American guide with a great
deal of rafting experience and many stories to tell of mighty rivers such as
the Colorado. With a leader like Buzz, there was no reason to fear any of the
great rapids on the Motu.
The
first half day, in the gentle upper reaches, was spent developing teamwork and
co-ordination. Strokes had to be mastered, and the discipline of following
commands without question was essential. In the boiling fury of a rapid, there
would be no room for any mistake. When Buzz bellowed above the roar of the
water, an instant reaction was essential.
We
mastered the Motu. In every rapid we fought against the river and we overcame
it. The screamed commands of Buzz were matched only by the fury of our paddles,
as we took the raft exactly where Buzz wanted it to go.
At
the end of the journey, there was a great feeling of triumph. We had won. We
proved that we were superior. We knew that we could do it. We felt powerful and
good. The mystery and majesty of the Motu had been overcome.
The
second time I went down the Motu,.the experience I had gained should have been
invaluable, but the guide on this journey was a very softly spoken Kiwi. It
seemed that it would not even be possible to hear his voice above the noise of
the rapids.
As
we approached the first rapid, he never even raised his voice. He did not
attempt to take command of us or the river. Gently and quietly he felt the mood
of the river and watched every little whirlpool. There was no drama and no
shouting. There was no contest to be won. He loved the river.
We
sped through each rapid with grace and beauty and, after a day, the river had
become our friend, not our enemy. The quiet Kiwi was not our leader, but only
the person whose sensitivity was more developed than our own. Laughter replaced
the tension of achievement.
Soon
the quiet Kiwi was able to lean back and let all of us take turns as leader. A
quiet nod was enough to draw attention to the things our lack of experience
prevented us from seeing. If we made a mistake, then we laughed and it was the
next person's turn.
We
began to penetrate the mystery of the Motu. Now, like the quiet Kiwi, we
listened to the river and we looked carefully for all those things we had not
even noticed the first time.
At
the end of the journey, we had overcome nothing except ourselves. We did not
want to leave behind our friend, the river. There was no contest, and so
nothing had been won. Rather we had become one with the river.
It
remains difficult to believe that the external circumstances of the two
journeys were similar. The difference was in an attitude and a frame of mind.
At the end of the journey, it seemed that there could be no other way. Given
the opportunity to choose a leader, everyone would have chosen someone like
Buzz. At the end of the second journey, we had glimpsed a very different vision
and we felt humble - and intensely happy.
Source - unknown
Warm regards,
